Moving On
by iowatobroadway
Summary: Cartwills. Six months after the Tonys, it's time to move on to another show.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This takes place about six months after the finale. I've always preferred for Karen and Derek to eventually be a couple and for Derek and Ivy to just be friends. In this fic, Ivy had a miscarriage shortly after the Tonys, and Derek and Ivy were together for awhile after that, but they recently broke up and are now trying to remain friends. This will likely feature many of the characters from the series. This is my first attempt at a "Smash" fanfic, so feedback is always appreciated! I would especially be happy to hear any ideas for musicals. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the sadly canceled "Smash" or any of the characters. I am only borrowing them, and I would plan to return them, but there is unfortunately no longer a series to return them to. Thus, they live on in fanfic.

* * *

Karen stared at herself in her dressing room mirror. She couldn't believe that this was her last week with "Hit List." It didn't seem like it was that long ago that she was sitting with Derek in Kyle and Jimmy's apartment, listening to Jimmy describe the musical.

It still made her sad to think about Kyle. He loved musicals so much, and he never got to see "Hit List" make it to Broadway. As much as she loved "Hit List," it did seem like so much sadness and misfortune had surrounded it: Kyle's tragic death, Ana losing her role because of Derek's awful mistake, all of Jimmy's drug problems and his arrest. Ana at least had her role back, but Jimmy would still be in prison for several more months. Derek had seemed happy with Ivy for a little while, but after Ivy's miscarriage, their relationship had slowly fallen apart.

Karen hadn't talked to Ivy recently. She wondered how she was doing. They weren't exactly friends, but they were friendly enough. She wondered what it would be like working with Ivy again. This time, they wouldn't be competing for the same part, but being co-stars might not be easy.

Karen was just about to put on her jacket when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said.

"So, darling, are you ready for your final performances as Amanda?" Derek asked as he walked into her dressing room.

Karen shook her head. "I'm sad to leave. I mean, I'm excited about our new show, but it's hard to leave everyone here behind. This was my first time in a Broadway show."

"And now it's time to move on to a new one," Derek said. "Lisa will do very well in your part, though she won't be as good as you, of course."

Karen smiled as she put on her jacket and picked up her purse. "I'm sure she will be wonderful. I know 'Hit List' will be fine without me. I'll still really miss everyone, though. And, I won't get to work with Ana every day."

"You'll still see plenty of her," Derek pointed out. "After all, you live with her."

"Well, yes, but it's fun working together," Karen said.

She couldn't believe now that she had fought with Ana over her getting to sing a few lines from "Broadway, Here I Come." It seemed so ridiculous now, probably because it was. She really appreciated getting to work with her best friend after she had been stuck working with Daisy for weeks. She still hated thinking about Daisy going up on stage and accepting that Tony award. Sometimes this business was really unfair.

Ana was already signing autographs when Karen walked out with Derek.

"Are you going to Table 46?" Derek asked.

"Of course," Karen said.

"I'll see you there, then," Derek said as he turned to walk down the street.

Ana smiled at Karen as she started signing autographs.

"You won't be doing this too much longer," Ana said. "You'll be back in rehearsals again pretty soon."

"I know," Karen said as she handed a fan's program and pen back to her. "I'll miss 'Hit List', and I'll miss getting to perform with you every night."

"I'm really going to miss pretending to hate you," Ana said. "I might just have to start picking fights with you at home."

Karen hit Ana playfully on the arm. "I think we already spent enough time fighting. Are you heading to Table 46?"

"Nope, I've got a date with a hot musician," Ana said, pointing to a good-looking man standing near the end of the row of fans.

"Well, have fun," Karen said as they both finished signing autographs.

"I will," Ana said with a smile.

As Karen headed toward the restaurant, she thought about what next week would be like. After all of these months performing with "Hit List," she would be back in the rehearsal space, learning new music and scenes and choreography. She was a little nervous, but it was also exciting to be starting something new.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thank you for the reviews! I always appreciate feedback. Writing this fic is helping me deal with my post-season-2 Cartwills feels, so thank you for reading! This chapter will be from Derek's point of view, and I will most likely continue to alternate between Karen's and Derek's POVs.

* * *

Derek stared into his drink as he sat at the bar. He found himself really thinking about everything that had happened in the last year. That was something he never used to do. He always moved forward; he never looked back.

Now he thought about the past so much more. The bad things that he had done kept coming back to haunt him.

That was what being forced to take a break from working was doing to him. He kept thinking about the many women he had invited to his apartment during callbacks over the years, the ones who had gotten the roles and the ones who hadn't.

"How are you doing?" Karen asked him as she sat down on the stool next to him.

Derek shrugged. "I'm alright, I suppose."

It usually took a few drinks before he would talk to her about how he was really doing.

Karen ordered a drink, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. Eventually she started chatting about "Hit List" and how everyone in the cast and crew there was doing. He listened, but he wasn't in the mood to respond that much. Karen had to be used to that by now.

Derek could tell that she was really going to miss being in the show. After all, this was the first time she had been in a Broadway show, so this would be even harder for her.

Still, moving on was a big part of the business. It was certainly nice for Derek to be moving on from this break. He didn't want to take another one anytime soon.

He still wasn't sure what he had been thinking when he slept with Daisy of all people. Maybe he had just been so hurt at being rejected by both Karen and Ivy that he was desperate to go back to his old ways. It was so much easier when he didn't care, and Karen and Ivy had changed all of that.

Having such strong feelings for these two women had really caught him off guard. He had been so used to meaningless flings, and it was so strange that the universe had sent him two women that he ended up caring so much about at the same time.

Of course, only one of these women shared those feelings, and it wasn't the one sitting next to him right now.

"Derek?"

Karen was frowning at him. Apparently he hadn't been listening as well the past couple of minutes.

"Sorry, love, I guess I just got lost in my thoughts," Derek said.

Now Karen was giving him that concerned look again. She had been giving him that look a lot lately.

It had been a rough several months, and Karen now seemed to be his confidante when he needed to talk. He wasn't sure that he really wanted to talk about the past tonight, though. He was tired of that. He wanted to get back to focusing on his work and on the future.

Of course, that might be easier said than done since he would be working with both Karen and Ivy again. He was getting along well enough with Ivy despite everything that had happened between them-the miscarriage and the fights that had come afterward. Still, he hadn't worked with her in quite awhile. He was sure they could be professional, though. The bigger question was whether they would be able to have the kind of friendship he would like to have with Ivy. He knew now that a romantic relationship with her wasn't the best idea.

He would be working with Tom, Julia, and Eileen again as well. Hopefully this show would go a bit more smoothly than "Bombshell" on its road to Broadway.

This would be the third project in a row he worked with Karen on. It seemed that they even ended up working together when he wasn't necessarily seeking it out.

Karen touched him on the shoulder. Those little gestures had been slowly coming back over the last few months. That didn't mean anything more than Karen caring about him as a friend, though. He knew that now.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Karen asked.

Derek shook his head. "It's just been a very long few months-a long year, really."

"I know."

Derek got up from his stool. "I have work that I need to get started on. I think I'm just going to head home for the night."

Karen nodded, though he thought she looked a little disappointed. "Are you going to come to my final 'Hit List' performance?"

Derek smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **For a fic I titled "Moving On," the first few chapters are ending up dealing more with the past. I have ideas for the new musical, but I'm still working on that. Thus, the new show will be revealed sometime in the next few chapters. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

* * *

The day was really here. It was Karen's final performance with "Hit List." Karen knew that she would likely work with at least some of the cast and crew again in the future, but this night was still bittersweet.

Karen looked around as she got ready to go on stage and sing "Rewrite This Story." The first musical her parents had ever taken to was a touring production of "My Fair Lady." She remembered sitting in the audience and not just enjoying the show but thinking about what it would be like to be up there performing on that stage.

It was a bit surreal realizing that her dream had come true. She was a Broadway star now. She had even been nominated for a Tony. After tonight, she would move on to another show that would hopefully be just as successful as "Hit List."

Her final performance as Amanda seemed to go by so quickly. Before she knew it, she was taking her bows. She had tears in her eyes as she looked out at the audience on their feet applauding.

It struck her that neither of the writers of the show were here for her final performance. Kyle would have been so excited to see the show on Broadway.

Karen remembered how happy both Kyle and Jimmy were when "Hit List" was debuting at the Fringe Festival. She had been attracted to Jimmy's talent then, and over time she ended up falling in love with him. Did she really love him, though? Her time away from him while he was in prison made her question how strongly she really felt about him. She had visited him several times, but it wasn't the same as seeing him every day. The last time she had visited, Jimmy must have sensed how she was feeling because he told her that she didn't have to wait for him if that wasn't what she really wanted.

Although Kyle was gone and Jimmy couldn't be here tonight, her director was here. Derek was smiling at Karen as she left the stage.

"Bravo," he said as he kissed her hand.

That gesture briefly made her mind wander back to that Bombshell party over a year ago where she and Derek nearly kissed. Sometimes she still wondered what would have happened if "Bombshell" hadn't had those legal problems, if she hadn't met Jimmy. It was pointless to think about it, though. Now she was done with both "Bombshell" and "Hit List," and it was time to move on.

Karen smiled. "Thank you."

They stood there for a moment in silence before Derek looked around at the cast and crew backstage.

"I'm sure you want to say your goodbyes to everyone here," Derek said.

"Yes," Karen said. "Most of us are going to Table 46 later, though. Will you be there?"

"Yes, I'll stop by," Derek said. "Hello, Sam."

Karen turned around. Sam was standing a few feet behind her.

"Hi, Derek," Sam said. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I just wanted to say goodbye to Karen since I won't be able to come to Table 46."

"Of course. I'll see you in a little bit, Karen," Derek said before he walked away.

"You're not going to be able to come to my little goodbye party tonight?" Karen asked Sam with disappointment in her voice.

"No, sorry, Karen, I have family visiting from Boston," Sam said.

"Oh, well, it's been great working with you, Sam," Karen said, giving him a hug.

"Yeah, it's been great working with you, too," Sam said. "I'm sure that I will see you around, and we'll probably work together again at some point."

"I'm sure we will," Karen said.

Karen said goodbye and hugged several of the other cast and crew members who wouldn't be able to make it to the restaurant later.

After that, she spent quite a bit of time signing her final round of autographs for fans outside. There were more fans than usual since it was Karen's final performance.

She took one last look at the theater before heading down the street with Ana to join her little goodbye gathering. It definitely wasn't easy to say goodbye.

"Now it's time to drink and have some fun," Ana said as they walked down the street.

"Yes, but it's so hard saying goodbye to everyone," Karen said.

"You're moving on to a new show," Ana said. "It's exciting. And, you'll still see everybody on a regular basis. There's nothing to be sad about."

"I am excited to be moving on to something new," Karen said. "But, still, 'Hit List' was my first Broadway show. You've done this before. How do you it?"

Ana shrugged. "It's sad, but it's also exciting as long as you have something to move on to. You already said goodbye to everyone at 'Bombshell,' and you worked on that show for over a year."

"That's true," Karen said as they walked into the restaurant. "I guess I do have some experience with this."

The cast and crew had taken over a few tables in the restaurant. After Karen and Ana had ordered their drinks, they walked over to the tables. Derek was talking to Marissa, and he turned around when he saw Karen. He smiled and raised his glass.

"To Karen," he said simply.

Everybody else raised their glasses as well. Karen smiled. As sad as she still was, she was excited for the next chapter in her career.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **The next chapter will get into the actual "moving on" part with the new musical. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Derek had enjoyed spending some time with the "Hit List" cast and crew again. Everyone had slowly been heading out as the night wore on, and now he was sitting by the bar drinking again as Karen said goodbye to the last ones to leave. She came over and sat on the stool next to him.

"I can't believe this was really my last night with 'Hit List,'" Karen said. "It was hard saying goodbye to everyone."

Derek nodded. "You'll work with a lot of them again."

"Yes, I'm sure I will," Karen said. "Still, it seems like yesterday that we were performing downtown. The time has gone by so fast."

"Hmmm…These last several months have actually gone by rather slowly for me," Derek said.

Karen placed a hand on his arm. "That's because you haven't been working. You will be now, though."

She was right that getting immersed in a project would likely help. He still couldn't get used to the fact that his life almost changed so much. He was still amazed that he had managed to be so calm and supportive when Ivy told him that night of the Tonys that she was pregnant.

"Do you think I would have been a good father?" he asked.

Karen looked at him, surprised. He hadn't talked very much about this, and Karen was the only one he had talked to, other than Ivy, of course. He still remembered the night that he and Ivy had broken up; he had sat on this same stool and ended up having an entire conversation with Karen about it. Whenever he had enough drinks and Karen would come by, he always ended up talking more than he intended to. He wondered what Ivy would think about everything he had told Karen about their relationship.

Karen was silent for a moment before answering. "Yes, I think you could have been. I still think you could be."

"I never wanted children," Derek said. "I always thought that I would be a bad father. My father wasn't very good at it."

"That doesn't mean that you couldn't be a good father, Derek."

"I suppose," Derek said, staring back into his drink again.

Karen ordered another drink, and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So, in a few days, we'll be working together again," Karen said, obviously trying to sound more cheerful.

"Yep."

"I'm looking forward to it," Karen said. "I mean, I know that one time I said that I didn't want to work with you again, but you know I didn't mean that, right?"

Derek gave her a little smile. "Did you mean the 'jealous old man' part?"

"No, not really," Karen said, giving him a little smile in return. "I do think you were jealous, but I definitely don't think of you as an old man. I just wanted to say something that would bother you."

Derek nodded, and they ended up sitting in silence for a few moments again.

"Derek?"

"Yes?"

"Am I…Never mind," Karen said.

"What were you going to say, darling?"

Karen sighed and looked down. Finally, she looked up at him again. "Am I still your muse?"

"Yes, I think so," Derek said.

Karen smiled. Derek smiled back.

"Did you want to walk me home?" Karen asked.

"Do you remember what happened the last time I walked you home? Oh, that's right. Nothing happened."

"Well, it wasn't really nothing," Karen said, and he could have sworn that she actually blushed before she looked away.

"Well, what was it then?"

"I don't know. We both had a lot to drink."

"We've both had a lot to drink tonight, too," Derek said.

Karen nodded. "Good point. Maybe you shouldn't walk me home."

Derek was starting to kick himself for pointing that out. Of course, they were going to be working together in a few days, so maybe it was for the best. He didn't want a drunken one-night stand with Karen. He had always wanted a lot more than that, and he still did. Of course, he had no idea what exactly Karen wanted.

"Well, I should probably be heading home then," Karen said, getting up from her stool. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Derek."

"Goodnight, Karen."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Thank you so much for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! I really appreciate it!

* * *

Karen yawned and hit the snooze button as her alarm went off. She looked at the clock. Why was her alarm going off so early again? Then she remembered. Today was the first day of rehearsal for "Lucky Break."

She was going to be playing a new character, though Sara had a few similarities to Amanda. She would be playing a down-on-her-luck actress instead of a struggling singer in this show.

Now she was starting to feel a little excited, and she decided that rehearsal for a brand new musical might just be worth getting up for. Karen shut off her alarm, got out of bed, and took a shower. When she got out of the shower, Ana was just emerging from her room.

"Oh, that's right, you have your first rehearsal today," Ana said, yawning.

"Yep," Karen said, feeling a little more awake now. "In a little while, I'll be working on entirely new songs."

Karen made some coffee while she dried her hair. It would feel a little strange being back in a rehearsal space again after months performing on stage, but she found that she was really looking forward to it.

"I'm a little jealous," Ana said. "But, I still get to be the Diva every night, so I'm not that jealous."

As Karen drank her coffee and ate some cereal, she thought about her upcoming rehearsal. What would it be like working with Ivy again? They hadn't exactly had the best time working together on "Bombshell," but these would be very different circumstances. They weren't vying for the same part this time. Besides, they had gotten along much better since the Tonys, though they really hadn't seen each other that much.

Ivy also had a Tony, and Karen didn't. She tried not to think about that, though. After all, Ivy had been in the business a lot longer than Karen. Being a Tony nominee for her first Broadway show was still an amazing achievement. Plus, even Karen had to admit that Ivy had done a very nice job as Marilyn. Would they be up against each other for Tonys again? Karen knew that was such a long way off that it really wasn't worth thinking about. After all, the show needed to get to a Broadway stage first.

She would also be working with Derek again, although, really, she hadn't worked with any other Broadway directors except for her brief stint with Tom. That hadn't worked out so well. What if Derek was the only director she really enjoyed working with? Well, no reason to worry about it now since she was about to work with him again anyway.

She felt a little embarrassed when she remembered their drunken conversation last night. It wasn't like that was the first time they had ended up drinking and talking. It was just that the other times they had talked about Derek's life or Karen's life, not about the time they kissed or fights they had had. She doubted that Derek would bring their conversation up today, though. After all, they had a new show to focus on.

Karen looked at the clock. She realized that she needed to hurry up and finish getting ready. She wasn't used to having to get up and get moving early in the morning anymore.

Ana was just getting out of the shower as Karen was about to head out the door.

"Have fun," Ana said.

"Thanks," Karen said. "See you later."

Karen didn't want to be late to her first rehearsal, so she ended up arriving a little earlier than she needed to. It was a strange feeling walking into the rehearsal space again. Derek was already sitting at the table, looking at his notes.

"Good morning, Derek," Karen said.

"Morning, darling," Derek said, looking up at her. "Are you all ready to work on a new musical?"

"I am," Karen said. "I'm excited."

Derek smiled and looked like he was about to say something, but the door opened and Tom and Julia walked in.

"Hi Karen," Julie said warmly.

"Hi Julia. Hi Tom," Karen said.

Tom smiled and greeted Karen as well, but Karen remembered how awkward things were when he was her director for those few weeks on "Bombshell." She was rather happy that he was the composer and not the director for this show.

Julia wanted to talk to Derek, so Karen went to the back of the room to meet the members of the ensemble. Bobby and Jessica had also left "Bombshell" for "Lucky Break," so Karen enjoyed talking to them again.

"How have you been, Iowa?" Jessica asked.

Karen laughed. "I thought I was done having to put up with that nickname."

"Well, we wanted to bring it back for old time's sake," Bobby said.

Karen looked over as the door opened again. Ivy walked in chatting with Eileen. Karen wondered briefly if Eileen had always preferred for Ivy to be Marilyn. She knew that Ivy was Tom's Marilyn and Karen was Derek's, but what did Eileen and Julia think? Karen was annoyed at her own thoughts. Did it really matter now? Having the same creative team as "Bombshell" was bringing back a lot of those memories though, both good and bad.

Ivy walked to the back and said hello to Bobby and Jessica before turning to Karen.

"So, we'll be working together again," Ivy said.

"Yes, playing friends this time, though," Karen said. "And rivals. I guess we have that part down already."

Ivy laughed. "Yeah, we have some experience with that."

"Well, since we're co-stars now, hopefully all of that is in the past," Karen said.

"I'm sure we can be completely professional," Ivy said. Bobby and Jessica smirked. "What? We can be."

"Of course you can," Bobby said.

Karen glanced over at the table, where Derek and Tom were already arguing about something while Julia stood with her arms crossed.

"That doesn't seem like a good start," Karen said.

"Just like old times," Bobby said.

Karen hoped that it would be like the good old times and not the bad old times if that was the case. She thought that Derek and Tom had been getting along better, but that was when they weren't working together. She didn't want to have to go running after Derek after he stormed out again. It would be nice for the first day of rehearsal to go smoothly.

Finally, Derek, Tom, and Julia seemed to settle whatever disagreement they were having.

"Well, let's get started then," Derek said.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Thank you again for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

The first rehearsal of "Lucky Break" hadn't started out the best. Derek hoped that he wouldn't continue to have issues with Tom, but that seemed unlikely since Tom now had experience as a director. So, of course, he kept trying to disagree with Derek's direction. It had only been been a few hours, and Derek was already getting frustrated.

"Tom, I believe you agreed to allow me to be the director of this show," Derek said. "So I would appreciate it if you would actually let me direct."

"Tom, he's right," Julia said. "You're not directing this."

"Oh, sure, take his side," Tom said.

He sat back down, though. Derek hoped that he could actually get some work done now. Derek had been working with the ensemble on "As Luck Would Have It." Karen and Ivy had been rehearsing at the piano. It occurred to him that working on one of the duets on the first day of rehearsal might not have been the best idea, but at least he would get an idea of how challenging it would be to have these two co-starring with each other right away.

"Karen! Ivy!" Derek called.

They both came to the front of the room, and they all got to work. It went more smoothly that he thought it would, although he earned a couple of frowns from Karen and a few glares from Ivy. He had no problem seeing what the number should look like. It was nice to feel inspired and be back to work again.

Derek talked about the production with Eileen over lunch.

"It seems that Karen and Ivy are getting along well," Eileen said.

"Yes, hopefully that will continue," Derek said. "They're both professionals."

"On the other hand, you and Tom already seem to be having problems," Eileen said. "You're not going to be at each other's throats like you were on 'Bombshell,' are you?"

"Not as long as he realizes that I'm the director," Derek said. "It might help if you reminded him of that, too, Eileen."

Eileen sighed. "It would be nice if you two could just get along."

"We get along fine when Tom isn't trying to do my job."

Eileen had a meeting to go to, and Derek got back from lunch early. Karen was there along with a few members of the ensemble. Suddenly Derek felt a need to work on the choreography he was planning for the "Showtime Tango."

"Karen Cartwright!" he called.

Karen smiled and walked up. "Yes, Mr. Wills?"

"I need you to work with me on choreography for the tango number," he said, taking her hand and pulling her close.

Karen certainly seemed a lot more comfortable than she had a couple of years ago when he had danced around the room with her.

"You know, it's funny," Karen said.

"What's funny?" Derek asked as he dipped her.

"I've had this dream a few times where we're dancing, and it's usually the tango," Karen said as they had to move around a few ensemble members who had just come into the room.

"You have dreams about me?" Derek asked.

Karen blushed. "Well, occasionally you make an appearance in my dreams. I mean, I work with you all the time, so it makes sense."

Derek grinned. "So, what happens after we dance?"

"Nothing happens. The dream is over, and I wake up."

Derek thought she said that a little too quickly. "Really?"

"Yes," Karen said, but her face was even redder.

Ivy walked in the room accompanied by Tom and Julia. She frowned at Derek but didn't say anything. Unlike the last time he and Karen had danced at rehearsal, he and Ivy were no longer involved with each other, and both Karen and Ivy were leading ladies in this production.

Everyone was here now, so he reluctantly ended his dance with Karen. He was still very curious about the dream she had been describing, though. Maybe he could get her to go out for drinks with him, and then he could coax more details out of her.

The rest of the day went by very quickly. Derek wasn't used to that anymore; it really was nice to be working again. He caught Ivy before she rushed out the door.

"Ivy?"

"Yes, Derek?"

"I know that things went rather badly for us, but I'm hoping that doesn't mean we can't talk to each other," Derek said.

"I'm sure that we can still have a good professional relationship," Ivy said.

"Yes, but I'm hoping that we can be friends, too," Derek said. "I miss talking to you."

Ivy sighed. "I don't know, Derek. Maybe."

He nodded. With everything that had happened between them, it was going to be difficult to even get their friendship back again, but Derek was still hoping it was possible.

"Derek, is everything okay?" Karen asked.

Derek realized that he had just been standing there, staring at the door after Ivy left.

"Yes," Derek said. He looked at Karen. "But maybe we could go out for a drink and talk?"

Karen hesitated for a moment. Derek wondered if she suspected that he might ask her for more details about her dreams.

"I guess we could," Karen said. "Do you want to go to Table 46?"

Derek shook his head. "No, we spend enough time there. I know a bar not too far from here."

A few minutes later, they were sitting in one of Derek's favorite bars. He liked the music and the atmosphere of this place. They also had particularly good scotch.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Karen asked. "Are you still having trouble getting your friendship back with Ivy?"

Derek shrugged. "It's not easy. We had a lot of fights after Ivy's miscarriage, and it's hard to get past all of that."

"You probably need to sit down and have a real talk with her about everything that happened between you," Karen said.

"I suppose," Derek said. "So, how are things going between you and Jimmy?"

Derek wasn't sure why he asked that. He was genuinely curious, though, especially since Karen really didn't talk about Jimmy much.

Karen looked down at her drink. "Well, he still has another six months in prison. The last time I visited, he told me that I didn't need to wait for him if that wasn't what I really wanted."

Derek looked at Karen, surprised. "You don't want to wait for Jimmy?"

Karen shrugged. "I'm not sure what I really want anymore."

They both sat in silence and drank for a few minutes. This time Derek was the one to break the silence.

"So are those dreams really just us rehearsing? They're entirely professional?" Derek asked.

Karen blushed again. Derek thought she was beautiful when she blushed. Well, she was always beautiful.

"No, not really," Karen said. "They start out with us dancing, and then, well, we do some other things."

"Other things?"

"Fine, I might have had a few dreams where we have sex," Karen said, the words rushing out as her face turned redder. "I'm sure you already figured that out. I'm not giving you detailed descriptions, though."

Derek was surprised that Karen actually had erotic dreams about him. He really had begun to believe that she didn't think of him that way at all. He had figured their one night of kissing had just been a product of alcohol and loneliness.

Karen put on her jacket and got up from her stool.

"Where are you going?" Derek asked.

"I'm going home," Karen said. "I just told you that I've had sex with you in my dreams. I don't really think now is a good time to drink anymore."

Derek chuckled. "I suppose that makes sense."

"I'll see you in rehearsal tomorrow," Karen said. "Goodnight, Derek."

"Goodnight, darling."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following! I hope that I'm doing a decent job of portraying the characters well and that everyone is enjoying this story.

* * *

_Karen was dancing with Derek at rehearsal again. This time, they were doing a sultry rhumba, and there was nobody else in the rehearsal space. _

_There was a bed on the edge of the room, though Karen couldn't remember how it got there or what its purpose was in the show. Somehow their dance brought them right up to it._

_The next thing Karen knew, their lips were touching. As their kiss grew more passionate, she wrapped her arms around Derek's neck and he lowered her onto the bed…_

The alarm jolted Karen awake.

"Ugh." She groaned as she hit the snooze button. She had been having these dreams every night for the last week, ever since she had stupidly told Derek about them.

Karen had dreamt about Derek quite a bit after Boston. After Jimmy kissed Karen and she became focused on "Hit List," she hadn't dreamt about Derek as often, but she still couldn't say that she never did.

Now, though, these dreams were back with a vengeance. Karen usually tried to think of her erotic dreams of Derek in the same light as dreams she had about movie stars or fictional characters-something that could never happen. Just because she was attracted to Derek didn't mean that getting involved with him was a good idea.

Was it really just an attraction, though, or were her feelings stronger than that? She knew that she at least cared about Derek as a friend, but was she actually falling for him? Karen sighed as she forced herself to get out of bed. Derek had asked her out for drinks a couple of times since she had told him about the dreams, but she had come up with excuses not to go.

Karen was really starting to think that drinking with Derek wasn't the best idea. She ended up saying things that she really shouldn't say. There was also the danger that she would end up doing things that she really shouldn't do. After all, she had already almost slept with Derek once. That was almost a year ago, but she still thought about that night more than she should.

She had always determined that a relationship with Derek was something she should avoid. After all, he was her director, and he didn't have the best history with women.

On the other hand, her last boyfriend was in prison. Karen couldn't really claim that was the smartest relationship to get into, either. As confused as she was about how she felt about Jimmy, she hadn't actually ended things with him. He had told her that she could move on, but it would probably be a good idea to talk to him about it before she actually did.

"You look like you're deep in thought," Ana said, as she came into the kitchen. "Are you contemplating the meaning of life?"

"More like the state of my love life," Karen said.

"The fact that Jimmy is in prison or that you told Derek or about your sexy dreams?"

"Both," Karen said. She put her head in her hands. "I can't believe I told Derek about those dreams."

"Maybe you should just talk to Derek about it instead of avoiding it," Ana suggested.

Karen sighed. "You're probably right."

She looked at the clock. It was about time for her to get going to rehearsal.

Karen finished getting ready and said goodbye to Ana. She was actually running a little late today. Hopefully, she would still be at least pretty close to on time.

Karen managed to arrive only a couple of minutes late, and rehearsal really hadn't started yet.

Derek was talking to Ivy as Karen walked in. Derek's on-again/off-again relationship with Ivy was another reason Karen was wary of getting involved with him. Although Derek had said he just wanted to be friends with Ivy now, Karen knew that had changed before, so could she be certain it wouldn't again?

Still, she knew that she at least needed to talk to him. So, when Derek was done talking to Ivy, she walked up to him.

"Derek?"

"Yes, Karen?"

"I was wondering if you might want to go to to dinner tonight and talk," Karen said.

Derek looked surprised. "Actually, darling, I have dinner with Ivy tonight. Otherwise I would."

Karen felt a pang of disappointment and hoped it didn't show too much on her face. "Oh, maybe another time, then."

"The dinner is just so that I can work on fixing my friendship with Ivy," Derek said. "I believe you were the one to suggest it."

"That's true," Karen said. "I did. I hope that you and Ivy are able to repair your friendship."

"We can have drinks afterward and talk, though," Derek said.

"Sure, that would be great," Karen replied.

Of course, now she would be drinking with Derek again. She still wasn't even sure what she was going to say to him. Karen sighed as she started reading through her script. Today she and Ivy would be rehearsing a scene where their characters talk about their bad career luck at the bar. Karen hadn't had bad career luck lately, but her luck in her love life wasn't so great.

Karen and Ivy both sat down to rehearse the scene.

"So, Angie, did you have as bad of a day as I had?"

"Worse. I swore I was having a really good audition, but the director had his head in hands when he cut me off halfway through."

"Well, the director took a phone call halfway through my audition."

Karen loved this scene because it was so familiar to her. She could still remember the embarrassment of that director taking a phone call while she was singing. She had come so far since then.

Despite how familiar the scene was, though, Derek had some complaints and still made Karen and Ivy go through it several times. By the time they were done rehearsing it, Karen was very happy to move on to something else.

"You would think I would do that scene perfectly after all the failed auditions I've had," Karen said.

Ivy laughed. "I've had quite a few of those myself. At least that's in the past now."

"Yes, we are both successful Broadway actresses," Karen said. "You even have a Tony."

"And you had a Tony nomination," Ivy said. "I'm sure you'll win one, too."

It was nice actually getting along with Ivy. Karen had thought they might have some problems, but it was going pretty well so far. Of course, they had only been rehearsing for a week.

Karen glanced over at Derek, who was now talking with Tom and Julia. She wondered how their conversation would go tonight. The only thing she knew was that she shouldn't drink too much when she talked to him.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Thank you so much for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

Derek hated having to turn down Karen's offer to go out to dinner. Considering she had already turned him down for drinks the last couple of times he asked her, Karen asking him to dinner had really surprised him. He would still see her tonight, though. He wondered what she wanted to say to him. Most likely, she was planning to tell him that the dreams were nothing and she wanted to keep their relationship professional. Still, at least he knew that she was attracted to him. He doubted there was any way she felt as strongly about him as he did about her, though.

He had been talking to Tom and Julia about some changes they were making to the show before everyone went on break. They had wanted to switch a few scenes around and add another song. Although Derek had to agree the changes were a good idea, he hoped there wouldn't be too many more before they went to Boston for their out-of-town tryout. Apparently Eileen really liked Boston since she wanted to go to the same theater for "Lucky Break" that "Bombshell" had been at.

"Derek, I'll have the new lines ready by tomorrow," Julia said as she returned to the room.

"Alright," Derek said. "Julia, I was curious about something. Are you still working on 'The Great Gatsby'?"

Derek remembered that Julia had been working on the play with Scott earlier, but he hadn't heard anything since then. He had grown to respect Julia even more as a writer over the course of "Bombshell" and "Hit List" and was curious about her future projects.

"It's on hold right now," Julia said. "I had worked on it as a play, but then Tom and I thought of some possible songs for it. We had the idea for 'Lucky Break,' so we decided to work on Gatsby later."

"So you're going to do it as a musical?"

"Yes, eventually," Julia said. "We want to make sure it's really great, though, so we're going to take our time with it. Gatsby was the first musical idea that Tom and I ever talked about."

"What are you two talking about?" Tom asked as he came back into the room.

"Derek was asking about 'The Great Gatsby,'" Julia informed him.

"I might want to direct something before we finish that," Tom said. "I'd like to get the chance to direct again."

"We're not going to get into a fight about that again, are we?" Julia said.

Derek didn't feel like having to stand around during a fight between Tom and Julia while there was still work that needed to be done today.

"I didn't mean to start something between you two. I was just curious about it. Why don't we focus on our current musical now since everyone's back from break?"

Everyone got back to work. Karen and Ivy rehearsed another scene, this time with their characters arguing about a role they were both auditioning for. That was certainly familiar territory for Karen and Ivy.

" I didn't know you were planning to try out for this part, too, Angie. I hope this doesn't affect our friendship."

"I don't think there's anything to worry about, Sara. I'm sure we can be totally professional. Besides, we'll probably just end up drinking later and complaining about how we were both rejected."

Derek made them go through the scene several times until he was satisfied with it.

Afterwards, he caught Karen before she left. "Karen, I'll text you after Ivy and I are done with dinner, alright?"

"Okay. That's fine. I have something I need to do anyway."

Karen walked out without another word. Derek was curious what she was planning to do, but right now he had dinner with Ivy. He and Ivy walked to the restaurant together. He had called ahead and made reservations, so they were seated right away.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Ivy asked.

"I think you know, Ivy," Derek said. "I want to know what we can do to repair our friendship."

Ivy sighed. "It's just hard, Derek. I don't know how to go back to where we were."

"Well, we've been in a lot of different places in our relationship," Derek said. "Maybe we can start somewhere new?"

Ivy smiled. "Yeah, maybe."

"We're both sad about the miscarriage, Ivy," Derek said. "I know I wasn't very good at talking about it, but I started to really look forward to being a father. Although I'm not sure I would be a very good one."

Ivy put her hand on his arm. "There's no way to know what kind of parents we would have been, but I think you could be a good father, Derek. I'm not sure that us trying to be together would have been a good thing, though, no matter how much we care about each other."

"Yeah, I think we're definitely better off as friends," Derek said.

The rest of the dinner went well enough, and Derek felt like they had made some progress. He texted Karen to meet at one of his favorite bars for drinks. She texted him back that she would meet him in an hour. He still wondered what she was doing.

Karen arrived at the bar a few minutes late. "Sorry. I was talking to Jimmy."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "That's what you had to do?"

Karen nodded. "Yes. You know, I never thought I would be visiting my boyfriend in prison. Well, I guess he's officially my ex-boyfriend now."

Derek couldn't believe it. "You broke up with him?"

"Yes, he had already told me that it was okay if I moved on before, so I don't think he was that surprised," Karen said. "I'm sure he noticed that I wasn't visiting him as often."

"But I thought you were so in love with him?"

Karen sighed. "I thought I was, too. I guess absence doesn't necessarily make the heart grow fonder, though. In this case, the time away from him made me realize that maybe I didn't really love him in the first place."

As welcome as that news was, Derek still didn't want to get too excited. He still wasn't sure how Karen really felt about him. Her erotic dreams seemed to indicate that she was at least attracted to him, but Derek didn't just want sex; he wanted a real relationship with Karen.

They sat in silence for awhile and drank.

"I had been planning not to drink so much tonight," Karen said, "but I don't seem to be following that plan."

Derek grinned. "Why were you worried about drinking too much, love?"

Karen grinned back. "You know why. I've always thought that getting involved with you was a bad idea."

"Why is it such a bad idea?"

"Well, first of all, you're my director."

"Yes, but it's not like you're sleeping with me to get a part. You're already a Broadway star."

"Second, your history with women doesn't give me a lot of confidence that something between us would work out very well."

"I'm changing, or at least I'm trying to," Derek said. "You're a good influence on me."

Karen smiled. "I am?"

Derek nodded. "When I'm around you, I want to be a better man."

Karen looked down for a few moments. Derek wondered what she was thinking.

"Maybe we could try going out for dinner tomorrow," Karen said.

Derek smiled. "Are you asking me on a date?"

Karen smiled back. "I suppose."

"Well, then, I would be happy to go out to dinner with you."

Karen got up from her stool. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Derek thought that she was going to peck him on the cheek, and he was surprised when she kissed him on the lips. It was just a brief moment, and then she was walking out the door.

He smiled. Maybe there was a chance for him and Karen Cartwright after all.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Sorry, I ended up adding a little more to this chapter after I already posted it. I will be out of town for a few days, so I probably won't be able to update this until late next week. Once again, thank you for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

"So you're really going on a date with Derek," Ana said.

"It's just dinner," Karen replied.

Ana smirked. "But, you admitted to Derek that you were asking him on a date."

"That's true," Karen said. "I still can't believe I actually broke up with Jimmy and asked Derek out on a date yesterday. I don't know what came over me."

"Yeah, you're not usually that spontaneous," Ana said. "Maybe it's just because you finally figured out what you want."

"Maybe," Karen said, frowning.

Did she really want a relationship with Derek, though? Well, yes, she did want it, but was it a good idea? He was still her boss, and what if it turned into a big mess? She was scared of getting her heart broken again.

"Well, I won't get to see you again before you go on your date, so have fun," Ana said. "You'll have to tell me all about it."

"I will."

Before they had their date, Karen would be seeing Derek at rehearsal. In fact, she would be working with him on "My Time to Shine." That song just featured Karen and the ensemble, so Ivy wouldn't be there today.

Derek looked up from his notes when Karen walked into the room. He gave her a little smile, and she smiled back. It would feel a little strange working with him and knowing they were going on a real date tonight.

Rehearsal, though, went pretty normally, including Derek getting frustrated and yelling a few times when they didn't do exactly what he was envisioning.

"No…no…no! That's not what I told you to do at all! Again!"

Even though some of Derek's complaints were directed at Karen, she had learned not to take that personally. That was just the way Derek worked. Eventually, Derek was satisfied with the number, and it was time to go home.

"I'll stop by your place at 7," Derek said to Karen as she was starting to head out the door.

"Why? Were we doing something tonight?" Karen asked. She smiled at Derek's worried look. "I'm just kidding. I'll see you at 7."

Derek grinned, and Karen left to get ready for her date.

Karen changed her outfit three times before she finally settled on a cream-colored dress. Hopefully she would avoid spilling anything on it. As she stared at herself in the mirror, she realized that she was actually a little nervous. It seemed silly considering she had known Derek for a couple of years now. But, as much as they had worked together, drank together, talked to each other, and even kissed each other, they had never once gone on an actual date.

Karen was second-guessing her outfit choice again when the buzzer rang. She chided herself for being so worried about going out to dinner as she let Derek up to her apartment.

"You look absolutely beautiful, darling," Derek said as soon as Karen opened the door.

"Thank you," Karen said as she picked up her purse.

Karen thought that Derek looked quite good himself. Of course, he always looked good. Karen knew that she would have to be blind not to notice how handsome Derek was.

Derek took Karen's arm as they walked down the stairs and out the door. They were going to a cozy little Italian restaurant that Karen had liked.

"This is a nice place," Derek said as they were seated. "I like the atmosphere."

"Yes, Dev and I went here a few times, and I really enjoyed it," Karen replied before realizing what she had said. "And the first thing I do on our date is talk about Dev."

Derek chuckled. "Well, he was a big part of your life for three years. I couldn't expect you never to mention him."

Karen nodded and looked at the menu. When the waiter came by and asked if they wanted anything to drink, Derek ordered a bottle of wine.

"The manicotti here is really good," Karen said. "I should try something new, though. I tend to order the same thing too often."

Derek followed Karen's recommendation and ordered the manicotti when the waiter returned for their orders. Karen decided to try the lasagna.

"Eileen called me," Derek said after the waiter had left. "She wants to throw a party for the current and potential investors on Saturday. I told her we could have it at my apartment."

"Oh, will I be singing something?" Karen asked.

"Eileen was hoping you and Ivy could sing one of the duets," Derek said.

"Oh, that would be fine."

Karen realized that their date so far had consisted of talking about work and bringing up both Dev and Ivy. She decided to change the subject.

"Maybe we should talk about something other than work since this is a date and all," Karen said. "Have you seen any good movies, lately?"

"I actually haven't went to a movie for awhile," Derek said. "I tend to watch older movies more often. I was thinking about rewatching my collection of Hitchcock films."

"I didn't know you had a collection of Hitchcock films," Karen said. "You know, I've only seen 'The Birds.' It's sad, really. I've always meant to watch more of his films."

Derek smiled. "Well, then, I should introduce you to them."

Karen smiled back. "I'd like that."

Their food arrived then, and they both concentrated on eating for a few minutes.

"You're right, darling," Derek said. "This manicotti is excellent."

"I'm glad you like it," Karen said. "This lasagna is very good, too."

"You like Chinese food, too, don't you?" Derek said. "I recall you saying how much you loved crab rangoons when we went to that restaurant in Boston."

Karen smiled. "You remember that? Yes, I do like Chinese food, and crab rangoons are one of my favorite things in the world."

Derek grinned. "I know a restaurant that has terrific crab rangoons. I'll have to take you there sometime."

Karen was thinking about the possibilities of another date with Derek as the waiter brought the check. Somehow the night had gone by so quickly.

Derek talked more about Alfred Hitchcock's movies as they finished their dinner and walked arm-in-arm back to Karen's apartment.

"I had a great time tonight," Karen said. "We'll have to do it again sometime."

"Yes, we will," Derek said as he took her hand and placed a kiss upon it.

Their eyes locked, and they leaned toward each other at the same time. Their kiss started gently and gradually grew more passionate. After several exhilarating moments, though, Karen pulled away.

"I don't want to rush things, Derek," Karen said. "Can we try to take this slowly?"

Derek nodded. "Yes, I don't want to rush things, either."

They were still staring into each other's eyes, and Karen was tempted to kiss him again. If they kissed again, though, Karen was concerned that she would end up inviting him up to her apartment.

She turned around and started heading up the stairs. After she had gone up a few stairs, she turned around again.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Karen said with a smile. "Goodnight, Derek."

He smiled back. "Goodnight, Karen."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Thank you for the feedback! I always appreciate it. For anyone who read Chapter 9 right after I posted it, I ended up adding a bit to the date section a few hours later. Sorry for revising the previous chapter after I had already posted it! As always, thank you so much for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

It was another day of rehearsal, but as everyone gathered in the rehearsal space, Derek found his mind wandering back to the date he had with Karen Cartwright last night. It had been a lovely date, but now he wanted to be the one to plan the night. Perhaps he could get Karen to go with him for those crab rangoons tonight. Then, maybe they could go somewhere and listen to some music. He thought he knew just the place.

Eileen snapped him out of his thoughts. "Derek, we should have lunch later and discuss the party. I don't want to have the problems with funding for 'Lucky Break' that I did with 'Bombshell.'"

"Of course, Eileen. That won't be a problem."

"Good," Eileen said. "I'm looking forward to seeing 'My Time to Shine.'"

"You won't be disappointed."

Eileen smiled. "I'm sure I won't."

Karen and the ensemble performed the number, and Eileen was indeed pleased. So was Derek.

"That was fantastic," Derek said.

"Yes, it was," Eileen said. "Very nice work."

Julia and Tom were also happy with the number. So far, this day seemed to be going pretty well. Derek decided that he would ask Karen out after lunch.

As Derek and Eileen ate lunch at one of her favorite bistros, Eileen talked about her plans for the party.

"I really want the road for 'Lucky Break' to go smoothly, Derek," Eileen said. "It's important for this party to be a success."

"You have nothing to worry about, Eileen," Derek said. "The party will be wonderful. The investors will love the project and throw lots of money at it."

"I certainly hope you're right," Eileen said.

After Derek got back from lunch, he walked up to Karen.

"So, darling, I have an idea," Derek said.

"And what's that?" Karen asked with a little smile.

"I was thinking that we could go out to that Chinese restaurant tonight," Derek said. "The one with the wonderful crab rangoons."

"Tonight?"

"Why not? I also know a terrific piano bar we could go to after dinner."

Karen was silent for a moment. "Well..sure. It sounds like fun."

Derek smiled. "Alright then. I'll pick you up around 7 again."

The full cast, including Ivy, was back to work on a few scenes in the afternoon. Derek was actually smiling occasionally during rehearsal, which seemed to confuse everybody.

"What are you so happy about today?" Ivy asked him.

Derek wasn't sure that he should tell Ivy that he and Karen were starting to date yet, at least not until they both decided it was time to tell everybody.

"What makes you think I'm happy?" Derek asked. "I'm just trying something new to get better performances out of all of you."

Ivy frowned but didn't question him further.

Once rehearsal was over, Derek went home and got ready for the date. It didn't take him long, so he went out and looked for something to bring Karen. Would she want flowers? It didn't seem like it would hurt to do something a little romantic.

He picked out a simple little bouquet at a nearby shop, nothing fancy. He didn't want to go overboard.

Karen's mouth dropped when she saw the bouquet in Derek's hands.

"You brought me flowers?"

Derek shrugged. "The flower shop was on my way."

Karen smiled. "Thank you, Derek. I'll go put these in some water."

Once Karen was back, Derek took her arm, and then they went downstairs. They took a cab to the restaurant since it wasn't close by.

When it was time to order, Karen asked for extra crab rangoons to go with her cashew chicken.

"Those crab rangoons better be as good as you say they are," Karen teased.

"Oh, they are," Derek said confidently.

Derek poured some wine into his glass from the bottle he had ordered. He held the bottle by Karen's glass and looked at her. She nodded, and he poured some into her glass as well.

"This seems like a very nice restaurant," Karen commented.

"Yes, I've always liked it," Derek said. "I haven't been here for awhile, though."

"I can't believe we're going on a second date the night after we went on our first one."

"If the first date is successful, is there really any reason to wait to have another one?"

Karen smiled. "I suppose not."

"And, it's not like we just met," Derek said, leaning forward. "We have known each other for awhile, love."

Karen leaned forward as well. "That's true."

They sat there for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes. Derek put his hand on Karen's.

The waitress chose that moment to bring over the egg drop soup.

"Bloody hell," Derek mumbled.

Karen smiled again and started in on her soup.

It wasn't too long before their main courses arrived along with Karen's crab rangoons.

"It's the moment of truth," Karen said, taking a bite out of one. "Alright, I have to admit these are excellent. You were right."

Derek grinned. "I often am."

"So, what is this piano bar you're taking me to?"

"You'll see."

"Well, since you were right about the crab rangoons, I suppose I'll have to trust you."

Karen continued to praise the crab rangoons as they finished their meal.

"We'll have to come here again sometime," Derek said.

"Yes, we will," Karen agreed.

Derek was smiling as they left the restaurant. Karen was brushing up against him as they walked.

"Is it far?"

"No, it won't take us long to walk there," Derek said as he slipped an arm around Karen's waist.

A few minutes later, they were at the piano bar. A pianist who Derek had listened to frequently was playing "I Saw Her Standing There."

"He can play quite a few songs," Derek said. "And he's very good. Occasionally, he lets someone sing with him."

Karen smiled at him. He loved her smile.

"He's wonderful," she said.

Derek ordered drinks for them, and they sat and listened for awhile.

Later in the night, the pianist asked if anyone would like to sing. Of course, Derek had already talked to him earlier and prearranged to have Karen sing, but if she suspected it, she didn't act like it. She was smiling as she walked up to the stage.

Karen decided to sing "Moon River." Derek smiled at her selection as he remembered Karen talking to him about her love of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" one of those nights at Table 46. He knew a theater that showed old movies; that would have to be another future date.

The audience applauded and cheered after her performance, none more loudly than Derek. He thought about how far Karen had come from that girl who first auditioned for "Bombshell." He was so proud of her.

Derek kissed Karen's hand when she arrived back at the table.

"That was absolutely beautiful, Karen."

Karen smiled. "Thank you."

All too soon, the music was over for the night, and it was time to head home. Derek hailed a taxi when they got outside.

When they arrived at Karen's apartment, Derek got out of the cab with Karen, and they stood in front of the building once again.

"Well, thank you for a wonderful night, Derek," Karen said.

"You are very welcome, darling."

Their eyes locked just as they had last night. They were standing very close, close enough for Derek to reach out and touch Karen's cheek. He stroked her cheek for a few moments and just marveled at her beauty.

Karen leaned forward and brushed her lips lightly against his. It reminded him a bit of the very first time Karen kissed him, a little less than a year ago. It was a chilly night, but it felt considerably warmer as their lips met again. Derek tangled his fingers in Karen's hair as their kiss became more urgent.

Karen was again the one to pull away, but this time only slightly.

"Do you want to come up?" she asked softly.

He wanted to go up to her apartment more than anything, but he remembered what Karen said last night.

"You said that you didn't want to rush things."

"I did say that, didn't I?" Karen sighed. "I still think it's better to take things slowly, but it's hard."

"Yes, it is," Derek agreed.

Derek really wasn't used to trying to take things slowly, but he didn't want to ruin a chance at a real relationship with Karen.

"Well, we should probably say goodnight then," Karen said.

She kissed Derek's hand. He laughed.

"I can honestly say that no woman has ever kissed my hand before like that," Derek said.

Karen laughed, too. "Well, I want to be unique."

"You are," Derek said softly.

Karen smiled. "Maybe you can introduce me to Hitchcock's films this weekend?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. We have that party on Saturday night, though. I would love to do it Friday night, but I have to have some things done in my apartment before the party."

"Oh," Karen said with a look of disappointment.

"Perhaps we could do it Sunday?"

Karen smiled. "Sure. Sunday it is. Have a good night, Mr. Wills."

Derek smiled. "You too, Miss Cartwright."


	11. Chapter 11

Karen grumbled as loud sirens woke her up. She had been having a particularly good dream about Derek, and she hated that it was interrupted. This was also supposed to be her day to sleep in.

She slowly got out of bed and looked out the window. Apparently police and an ambulance were responding to a car accident not too far from her apartment building. Karen felt bad about her annoyance at being woken up when somebody could be really hurt.

"What's going on out there?" Ana asked, coming into Karen's room.

"It looks like there was a car accident," Karen said.

Ana joined Karen at the window. Somebody was being taken to an ambulance on a stretcher.

"Oh, that looks pretty bad," Ana said. "I hope that nobody is seriously injured."

"Yeah, I hope not," Karen said.

With the police and ambulance already there, there didn't really seem to be anything that Karen and Ana could do to help, so they decided to eat some breakfast.

"So, you have that party tonight," Ana said.

"Yep," Karen said. "Hopefully it will go well. Eileen says that it's really important for getting current and potential investors excited about 'Lucky Break.'"

"I'm sure it will be a good party," Ana said. "And you will be great."

"I hope so," Karen said. "Both 'Bombshell' and 'Hit List' had so many things go wrong. It would be nice if that wasn't the case for 'Lucky Break.'"

"Plenty of shows don't have the misfortune those two have had," Ana said. "There's no reason to think that 'Lucky Break' won't get to Broadway without any big problems."

"You're probably right," Karen said. "I don't want to think of myself as bringing bad luck to shows."

"You don't bring bad luck to shows, Karen," Ana assured her. "Anyway, how are things going between you and Derek?"

Karen smiled. "Well, our first couple of dates went really well. He's going to be introducing me to his Hitchcock collection tomorrow night."

Ana smirked. "At his apartment."

"Yeah, do you think that's a mistake? Me being alone with him in his apartment? I've been trying not to rush things."

"Well, you've had a couple of dates now. Plus, you've been friends for quite awhile. I don't think that would be rushing things, Karen."

Karen frowned. "I suppose not. It's just..."

"You're worried about getting your heart broken."

Ana knew her so well. "Yeah, I am. I want to believe that Derek has really changed, but it's still risky to be in a relationship with him considering his past."

"Well, having a relationship with anyone is taking a chance, isn't it?" Ana said. "You might end up regretting it. But, if you don't take the risk, you'll regret it more because you'll always wonder what could have been."

"Yeah, maybe you're right, Ana," Karen said. "I can't spend all my time being afraid of a broken heart. On the other hand, Jimmy and I moved awfully fast, and look how that turned out."

"Well, to be fair, there were a lot of signs that Jimmy wasn't the best guy to get involved with early on," Ana said. "He was high the first time he kissed you. At least you were still a good influence on him."

"That's true."

"Besides, it isn't the same with you and Derek," Ana said. "You know him a lot better than you ever knew Jimmy."

"Yes, I do," Karen said. "I'm surprised that you're actually encouraging me to date Derek, Ana. You're really not angry with him anymore?"

Ana shrugged. "Well, I eventually got the part back. And, Derek does seem to be genuinely trying to change. He obviously really cares about you."

Karen nodded. Before she could say anything else, her phone rang. It was her dad.

"Hi, Dad," Karen said as she answered the phone.

"Hi, honey," her dad said. "I wanted to call you early since you have that party tonight. How are things going with your new show?"

Karen told her dad all about her "Lucky Break" rehearsals, but she didn't yet mention her dates with Derek. They hadn't agreed to tell anybody yet, so she decided to hold off on telling her parents. She had already told them that she had broken it off with Jimmy, but she wasn't sure how they would react to her having a relationship with Derek.

It was nice that her parents were happy with her career decisions now, though. She was glad that she was able to prove her dad wrong about "Hit List." Her parents had been so proud of her when they came to see her on Broadway.

Later that day, it was Ana's phone that rang.

"Hi, Tracy," Ana said, talking to one of the members of the "Hit List" ensemble. "Oh, my God, is she alright?"

"What happened?" Karen said as Ana hung up the phone.

"You know that accident that we saw in front of our building?" Ana said. "Amy was in one of those cars."

Amy was also a member of the "Hit List" ensemble. Karen couldn't believe that another bad thing had just happened to someone in that production. She was having flashbacks to Tom telling her and Derek about Kyle's death, and she dreaded asking the next question.

"Is she…."

"She's in the hospital," Ana said. "She's injured, but apparently it's not too serious. She'll need surgery, but they're hoping to release her in a few days."

Karen breathed out a sigh of relief. It was bad that Amy was injured, but it certainly could have been worse. Karen couldn't believe it happened right in front of their apartment building.

It was hard for Karen to be excited about the party even as she got ready for it. She put on the red dress that she had been planning to wear, and she thought she looked pretty good. Still, she was worried about Amy even if it sounded like she would be alright. While she and Amy weren't that close, Karen had always liked her.

Derek came up to Karen as soon as she arrived at his apartment for the party. He looked her up and down.

"You are absolutely stunning, darling."

"Thank you, Derek."

"Is something wrong?" Derek asked with concern in his voice. "You look unhappy."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Karen asked.

"Of course," Derek said, leading her to the kitchen.

"Did you hear about Amy?"

"No, what happened?"

Karen told Derek about the car accident. "It happened right in front of my apartment building. Do you think I'm bringing bad luck to the shows I'm in and everyone around me? Because it feels like bad things just keep happening."

"Of course not, love. None of this is your fault."

Derek took Karen into his arms, and she rested her head on his shoulder. After a few minutes, she lifted her head up and their eyes met. Karen leaned in, and they kissed gently.

"Oh!" Ivy exclaimed as she walked in.

Karen turned around as Ivy walked back out of the room. Worried about what Ivy might do, Karen hurried after her.

"Ivy, about what you saw…"

Ivy whirled around.

"So you two are actually together now?"

"Yes, we've started seeing each other, but..."

"Karen, let me give you a piece of friendly advice. Leopards can't change their spots. You can't expect Derek to really change."

Karen frowned. "I obviously am well aware of Derek's past, Ivy, but I do think people can change. And, Derek has changed."

"You're still pretty naive if you really believe that, Karen. You don't know Derek as well as I do."

Karen crossed her arms. "I know him pretty well."

"If you want to be smart, Karen, you will avoid getting any more involved with him. You'll only get hurt."

"Is this like the friendly advice that you gave me after you slept with Dev?"

"God, that happened over a year ago, Karen. I already apologized more than once. Are you going to hold that against me forever?"

Karen's voice was starting to rise. "You slept with my fiancé. Then, you told me about it right before I needed to go on stage as Marilyn, hoping that I would have a meltdown and you could get the part. Why shouldn't I hold that against you?"

"You know, you always act like you're so much better than me. Yet, here you are, sleeping with the director."

"How do I act like I'm better than you? Anyway, I haven't slept with Derek yet, and even if I had, it wouldn't be the same as you sleeping with him to get a part."

"I did not sleep with him to get a part!"

"So, that was just really convenient timing then?"

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Think whatever you want, Karen."

"I will."

Karen looked around. Many of the guests had arrived at the party, and they were all staring at Karen and Ivy. Karen turned away and rushed out of the room.

* * *

**A/N: Well, at some point, things were bound to start going wrong. :-) Thank you again for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Thank you for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! I hope that everyone is continuing to enjoy this story.

* * *

Before Derek could even process what just happened between Karen and Ivy, Eileen came storming over to him.

"Derek, didn't I tell you how important this party was?"

"Yes, Eileen. It was just a fight, that's all. I'll talk to Karen and Ivy."

"It was a fight between our two leading ladies that happened in front of everybody! And, once again, you and your inability to stay away from actresses is at the center of it."

Derek was getting irritated now. "Look, Eileen, I said that I will talk to them. They're both professionals. They'll still do a good job of performing. Your party hasn't been ruined."

"You better be right, Derek. I can't afford to have the problems I had with 'Bombshell.' And, I would think you would have learned your lesson after all the sexual harassment issues."

Derek sighed and walked off to find Karen and Ivy. That was certainly not the way he would have wanted anyone to find out about him and Karen.

He found Ivy first. She was standing with her arms crossed, staring out the window.

"Ivy?"

She looked up at Derek. "So were you going to tell me?"

Derek sighed. "Well, I certainly didn't want you to find out about Karen and me like that. We've only been on a couple of dates. I would have told you once we agreed to tell people about us."

"So, I guess that Karen decided it wasn't such a bad idea to date you after all, then? What about her boyfriend?"

"Her ex-boyfriend is still in prison, and she decided to break it off with him."

"Do you really think it's going to work with Karen, Derek?"

Derek frowned. "I think it can. Just because it didn't work out between us doesn't mean I'm incapable of having a relationship, Ivy."

"Well, even when we were together, it was always obvious you still had feelings for her."

"It was?"

"Yes. You were always finding excuses to go and watch 'Hit List' or spending a lot of time at Table 46 when Karen was there."

"Look, Ivy, I'm sorry that you found out that way. But, you and Karen still have to perform together tonight. This party and your performance are important for the show. Do you think that you can put your argument with Karen aside for a little while?"

"Of course I can. I'm a professional. I have no idea if Karen can, though."

"I'll talk to Karen. Would you mind talking to Eileen and telling her that you still plan to perform and be on your best behavior for the rest of the night?"

Ivy frowned at him, but she nodded and started heading toward Eileen.

Now he needed to find Karen. He didn't have to spend much time looking for her, though, because she came out of the bathroom and found him.

"I shouldn't have followed Ivy," Karen said as she came up to him. "I was trying not to cause a scene, and that was exactly what we did."

"It's alright," Derek said, stroking her arm. "Everybody will forget about it once you perform."

Karen smiled. "No, they won't. I should probably apologize to Eileen."

Derek nodded. "I'll come with you. Are you alright?"

"Are you asking that because of the fight with Ivy or because of Amy's accident?"

"Both."

Karen shrugged. "I'll be fine. It sounds like Amy will be okay, and I guess I'm just back to not getting along well with Ivy again."

"That's a shame. You too were actually getting to be friendly with each other."

"Yeah, it seems like every time we start getting along with each other, we somehow end up fighting again. Maybe we're not really meant to be friends."

Ivy was still standing by Eileen as Karen and Derek came over to her. Tom was over there as well, glaring at Derek.

"Eileen, I'm very sorry about having that argument in front of everybody at this party," Karen said. She was avoiding looking at Ivy. "If there's anything I can do to make up for it, let me know."

"Well, you and Ivy can show all of these people that you are professionals who can still put on a great performance," Eileen said. "You don't need to be friends, but you need to at least try to get along in front of the investors."

"Of course," Ivy said.

"It won't happen again," Karen said.

"Good," Eileen said, surveying the party. "You two were going to perform later, but why don't we do it now, instead? The sooner we can put this little mess behind us, the better."

They all nodded, and Tom walked over to the piano. The members of the ensemble also walked up to Karen and Ivy and got ready to perform.

"Hello, everybody," Eileen said. "Thank you so much for coming to this party tonight. Right now, our two wonderful leading ladies will perform for you. So, without further ado, here are Ivy Lynn and Karen Cartwright along with a few members of our ensemble."

Karen and Ivy did a wonderful job performing "As Luck Would Have It." Derek was glad that there was no sign of problems between Karen and Ivy as they sang. He could only hope the same would hold true at rehearsals and in Boston.

Everyone in the room applauded as they finished. Karen walked up to Derek.

"Was that a good, professional performance?" Karen asked.

Derek smiled. "It was fantastic."

He could see Tom still glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. He wondered what Ivy had said to him.

Karen followed Derek's gaze. "I guess everybody knows about us now. It doesn't look like Tom is very happy about it."

Derek sighed. "Well, that's Tom's problem. Hopefully he won't make it our problem at rehearsals. I'm sorry about that, darling."

"It's not your fault. Ivy recommended that I stay away from you for my own good. She said she was giving friendly advice."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "She did?"

He hadn't heard the first part of their argument, only the part where they were arguing about Ivy sleeping with Dev and whether Ivy slept with Derek to get the part of Marilyn. Truthfully, he had so many actresses sleep with him to get parts, and he never really knew whether Ivy initially slept with him to get an advantage for the role or if she was just interested in him. Regardless, that wasn't why she got the part. It all seemed like such a long time ago now, though. So much had happened since then, and he couldn't believe that Ivy and Karen would still fight about that.

Karen nodded. "I don't know if she still has feelings for you or if she just doesn't want anyone else to have a relationship with you, especially me."

"I don't know," Derek said. "Ivy will get used to it, though. And, I'm sure that you two can manage to act like professionals in rehearsal. For now, we should probably get back to the party."

Derek and Karen mingled and talked to the different investors and potential investors. Despite how it started out, Derek thought the party was going pretty well.

"So, you're back to your old ways again," Tom said from behind him.

"What do you mean by my 'old ways,' exactly, Tom?" Derek asked, turning around.

"Juggling your leading ladies, just like you did in 'Bombshell,'" Tom said. "It's even the same actresses, minus Rebecca Duvall."

"Look, Tom, I am not talking about this with you here," Derek said. "Eileen will kill us both if there is any more trouble at her party."

"Fine," Tom said. "But I'm not happy about this."

"That's obvious, Tom," Derek said.

He turned away from Tom and walked back to Karen.

"So, what did Tom say?" Karen asked.

"Well, he's not happy, but he'll just have to get over it, too," Derek said.

Eileen tapped him on the shoulder. "Derek, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course," Derek said, smiling apologetically at Karen.

He wished that he was able to spend more time with Karen at the party. At least they would be together tomorrow for their first evening of Hitchcock movies.

"Derek, I want you to come along to dinner with me and Paul Branstad tomorrow night," Eileen said.

He couldn't believe that he had no sooner thought about his plans for the next evening than Eileen interrupted them.

"Eileen, I had plans for tomorrow night," Derek said.

"Well, cancel them, then," Eileen said. "You know that Paul Branstad is a very important producer, and he and his money would be very helpful in getting us to Broadway. It will be at Table 46 tomorrow at 8."

Without another word, Eileen walked away. Nothing seemed to be going right for him and Karen today.

Karen was talking to another producer when Derek walked over. He let them finish their conversation before he talked to her.

"I have bad news, darling."

"What is it?" Karen asked with concern.

"Well, it's nothing that bad, I suppose, but we're going to have to postpone our movie night. Eileen is forcing me to go to dinner with a producer."

"Oh," Karen said, looking disappointed. "Well, we'll just do it later in the week then."

Derek nodded. He was actually looking forward to the weekend being over now.

Once all the guests had gone, Karen was still standing with Derek.

"Well, I should probably get going, too. I'll see you at rehearsal, Derek."

Their kiss was brief but sweet, and then she was gone. As Derek watched the elevator doors closed, he hoped that he would be able to have his next date with Karen soon.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **I'm not sure how much I like the last chapter that I posted, but hopefully this chapter is better. I find Ivy and Tom to be the two most challenging characters to write, partly because they changed so much between the first and second seasons. Anyway, thank you again for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

Almost as soon as Karen walked into rehearsal on Monday morning, she was cornered by Bobby and Jessica.

"So, what was up with that fight you had with Ivy at the party?" Jessica asked. "I thought you two were trying to be all professional and get along."

"You're really dating Derek now?" Bobby asked. "But you haven't slept with him yet? Is that even possible?"

Karen looked around, wondering if she could come up with an excuse not to answer their questions.

"There's no way out, Iowa," Jessica said. "You might as well just tell us everything."

Karen sighed. "Yes, Derek and I have gone on a couple of dates. We're trying not to rush things, so we haven't slept together yet. Ivy saw us kissing and didn't take it well. Are you satisfied?"

"Hmmm…I'm not sure," Bobby said. "I believe there's more that we need to find out. Oh, look, here's someone who can help us."

Ivy had just walked into the room. Bobby motioned for her to come over.

"What are you doing?" Karen asked.

"I'm getting the whole story," Bobby replied. "Well, as much of the story as I can get without having to try to question our esteemed director."

"What do you all want?" Ivy asked as she came over.

"Well, that's not a very nice way to greet your friends," Bobby said. "We're trying to find out why you and Karen here are fighting."

"What, you didn't hear it?" Ivy asked. "I thought that everybody heard it."

"Oh, no, we heard it," Jessica said. "Especially the part that you two were pretty much shouting. But, we wanted to hear the whole story."

Karen looked at the table. Derek, Tom, and Julia still hadn't arrived yet. Did they really have to pick today to come in late?

"Stop looking for rescue," Bobby said. "You two need to tell us the whole story, or we'll just keep bugging you."

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Well, I walked in on Karen and Derek kissing. I walked out, and then Karen followed me and started yelling at me again for sleeping with Dev. Look, I said that I'm sorry about that, okay? There's nothing I can do about it now. Then, she accused me yet again of sleeping with Derek just to get the part of Marilyn. I am so sick of Karen telling everybody that."

"That's not the whole story," Karen said with irritation in her voice. "What about the part where you told me I should stay away from Derek and complained that I acted like I was better than you?"

"I was just giving you good advice," Ivy said. "And, you do act like you're better than me. You've even spread rumors about me."

"When did I do that?" Karen asked, feeling genuinely confused. "Are you talking about me telling Ana about you and Derek, because as I explained to you before, she's my best friend. I tell her everything."

"Oh, do you tell the Village Voice everything, too?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you think I'm stupid, Karen? You must have been the one to give them that blind item about me sleeping with your fiancé and saying that I slept my way to the top. Well, it didn't work, did it? I still won the Tony."

"What? I never told the Village Voice anything. That wouldn't even occur to me. How does one even give a blind item to them anyway? I don't even know who I would call."

Ivy frowned. "Well, if you didn't do that, then who did?"

"Probably Jerry. He would've done anything to make sure 'Hit List' won as many Tonys as possible. Of course, you won best actress and 'Bombshell' won best musical, so obviously, no, it didn't work."

"She does have a point," Jessica said. "That is definitely something Jerry would do."

"So you thought that I was gossiping about you all over town this whole time?" Karen asked.

Ivy shrugged. "Well, I figured you really wanted to win that Tony."

Karen frowned. "Not enough to do something like that."

"Oh, look, this was just a big misunderstanding," Bobby said. "We should all have a group hug now."

Before either Karen or Ivy could respond, Derek, Tom, and Julia walked in.

"I'm sorry about the late start," Derek said. "Unfortunately, our early-morning meeting with Eileen and a couple of investors ran over a bit."

Tom and Julia walked over to the piano.

"We're going to be working on 'It's Never Too Late' today," Derek continued. "Karen and Ivy, you can practice with Tom and Julia at the piano. Julia has a few new lyrics for you."

Julia handed Karen and Ivy the new lyrics to learn. In the meantime, Derek worked with the ensemble. The morning went by quickly.

"Karen, a word please," Derek said.

Karen walked over to the table.

"Did you want to have lunch with me?" Derek asked.

"Sure," Karen said.

She wondered if they would be talking about the show or their relationship. Probably both, she decided.

"I know a good cafe not too far from here," Derek said. "Have you ever been to Lucy's?"

Karen shook her head. "Not that I can remember. If I have been, it's been awhile."

Derek stood up. "Alright everyone, we're breaking for lunch. Be back in an hour."

As Karen got her coat, she glimpsed Ivy frowning at her and Bobby and Jessica whispering to each other. She imagined that everyone would be gossiping about her and Derek now. The good thing about everyone knowing about them was that they didn't have to bother hiding anything.

"Alright," Karen said as Derek took her arm and led her out. "Where is this cafe?"

They walked a couple of blocks until they arrived at the cozy little cafe. Karen looked at the menu, trying to decide what she wanted quickly since they only had an hour.

"So, how are you doing?" Derek asked.

"I'm okay," Karen said, still trying to figure out what she wanted.

"Well, that's certainly a detailed answer," Derek said.

"Sorry," Karen said. "I'm just trying to figure out what I want to order since we only have an hour."

"Darling, if we're a little late, it's not that big of a deal."

"I don't like being late. And I don't want to look like I think it's okay to be late just because I'm dating the director."

"You shouldn't worry so much about what everyone thinks, love. I recommend the turkey club, by the way."

The waitress came by, and Karen followed Derek's recommendation.

"Ana talked to Amy, and apparently she's out of surgery and is doing well," Karen said. "She's supposed to be able to go home in a couple of days."

"That's good news. I'm glad she's alright."

"Me, too."

"So, it's going to be a busy week," Derek said. "It seems like I'm having dinner or drinks with investors practically every night this week. But, I was hoping we could have our movie night on Friday."

Karen took out her phone. "Well, I'll need to check my schedule to see if I'm free. Oh, it's your lucky day. It appears that I happen to be available on Friday."

Derek smiled. "Well, I'm glad that you can fit me in."

Karen smiled, too. "Well, it's very important for me to learn about Hitchcock. I will consider it an educational experience."

"I hope it's more than just educational."

Their food arrived then. Derek chuckled when Karen checked her watch.

"What? I just want to know how much time we have."

Derek shook his head. "We have plenty of time, darling."

They concentrated on their food for a little while.

"So, we should be in pretty good shape for Boston in a couple of weeks, shouldn't we?" Karen asked.

"I think so," Derek said. "At least, we're certainly in better shape than we were for 'Bombshell.' I don't think we'll have to be scrambling to add songs and scenes at the last minute."

They got back to rehearsal a couple of minutes early.

"Well, I guess I didn't need to worry so much."

"No, you didn't," Derek said as he pulled Karen close to him and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll look forward to Friday."

"Me, too."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Ovation is going to be showing both seasons of Smash starting in July, so those wonderful Cartwills moments will be back on television. :-) Thank you for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

"Tom, once again, I am directing this show, not you. If you wanted to be the director, then you shouldn't have agreed to let me do it."

"Well, it wasn't my idea," Tom said. "It was Julia and Eileen who wanted you to direct."

"Well, for your next show, you can insist on directing, Tom," Derek said. "But for this show, I'm the director."

It had been a very long week, and it still wasn't over. Derek had been forced to deal with Tom challenging his direction constantly since the party.

"Tom, I like Derek's staging for this number," Julia said. "Eileen said yesterday that she liked it as well."

"Thank you, Julia," Derek said.

Tom sighed and sat down. Derek could only hope that Tom wouldn't cause him more problems when they got to Boston. He had been starting to think it wasn't such a good idea to work with so much of the "Bombshell" team again.

He had at least gotten along well with Eileen since the party despite their argument there. Tom, on the other hand, was being more difficult to work with than ever. Derek was determined not to quit this time, though.

Julia and Eileen had both helped with mediating any conflicts. Derek loved this show, and he was determined to see it through to Broadway.

After rehearsal, Derek had dinner with Eileen and another investor. After that, he would meet Karen for drinks at Table 46. Tomorrow, he would finally have his movie date with Karen.

"Thank you for coming to this dinner, Derek," Eileen said when Derek arrived at the restaurant. "I do appreciate it."

"It's not a problem, Eileen," Derek said. "You know that I want this show to be successful just as much as you do."

"It's important for me to produce this show completely on my own," Eileen said. "With 'Bombshell,' Jerry still ended up being involved."

"That's only because he sabotaged you," Derek said.

"That's true," Eileen said. "Still, I need to show everyone that I really can produce a show without my ex-husband. I'm sorry that I was so hard on you at the party. 'Bombshell' just had so many problems and so much bad publicity, and I really don't want that to happen with 'Lucky Break.'"

"I understand."

"I don't mind if you date Karen so long as it doesn't cause problems for the show," Eileen said.

"It won't," Derek promised.

Eileen nodded. "Well, there is Gary now."

The dinner with the investor went well, and Derek was looking forward to seeing Karen. However, when he walked into Table 46, he was immediately approached by a rather inebriated Tom.

"You really think you can get away with anything, don't you?" Tom said.

"Tom, you're drunk."

"Yes, I am," Tom said. "You're going to cause trouble for this show, just like you did for 'Bombshell.' And, you've broken Ivy's heart twice now."

Derek sighed. "Tom, I don't have any plans to cause trouble for this show. I'm sorry that I hurt Ivy back in Boston, but our breakup this time was mutual. It just wasn't working."

Ivy walked up to them. "What's going on?"

"I'm tired of Derek hurting you," Tom told her.

"Tom, we both agreed to break up," Ivy said. "You should really go home. I think you've had enough to drink tonight."

Tom nodded but kept glaring at Derek as he got his coat and walked out the door.

"You know that I'm sorry for all the times that I've hurt you, right?" Derek said to Ivy.

"Yeah, I know," Ivy said. "We've hurt each other a lot. That's why it's so hard for us to be friends."

"I'd still like to try, though," Derek said.

"Maybe someday, Derek," Ivy said. "You know, you're going to have the same problem with Karen."

Derek frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You remember when I told you that you will always have a Karen? When you move on to your next production without her, there will be somebody else. Just like I've had to deal with Karen always being there, she will have to deal with the next actress that you're fixated on."

Derek shook his head. "That's not true. Karen's different. The way I feel about her is different. There's not _a Karen_. There's just Karen."

Ivy frowned but didn't respond. "Well, I'm guessing you're here to see her. She's sitting right over there."

Ivy pointed to the other end of the bar.

Karen was looking at him already and gave him a little wave. Derek walked over to her and leaned in to kiss her.

"I'm sorry that I'm late, darling," Derek said after their kiss ended, his face still close to hers.

"That's okay," Karen said. "I know that Eileen's been keeping you busy. What were you talking about with Ivy and Tom?"

"About how much I've hurt Ivy."

Karen just nodded and turned back to her drink. Derek sat down next to her and ordered his usual scotch.

"You don't think I'm going back to my old ways, do you?" Derek asked.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just something Tom said to me after your fight with Ivy at the party. I've been trying to change. You know that. I do want to be a better man."

Karen covered his hand with her own.

"I'm not saying that I never worry about your past, Derek. But, I do think you're changing. I believe in you."

Derek smiled. "Well, as long as you believe in me, I'll keep working on it."

Karen smiled back. "Good."

"So, you still plan to come over for our movie night tomorrow, right?"

"Of course," Karen said. "I wouldn't miss it."

"That's good," Derek said. "I was thinking of bringing in some crab rangoons."

"Well, that could certainly make a good night even better," Karen said. "Especially if we had some wine, too."

"I always make sure to have plenty of wine."

As they sat and drank, they chatted about a couple of shows that they both wanted to see. As Derek looked toward the bartender to order another scotch, he noticed Ivy smiling and flirting with a man he didn't know.

Karen followed his gaze. ""Well, Ivy seems to be having a good time tonight."

"Yes," Derek said, turning back to Karen. "She can't possibly be having a better time than me, though."

"She's probably trying to make you jealous."

"Maybe," Derek conceded. "It doesn't matter, though. Ivy and I won't be getting back together. Hopefully she will meet someone new and move on."

"You've gotten back together with her before, though," Karen said softly, looking down at her drink.

Derek reached over and cupped Karen's cheek, and she looked back up at him.

"I will always care about Ivy as a friend, but I'm with you now," Derek said. "And, I am determined to be good to you, Karen. I want this to work."

"So do I."

Derek wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he was afraid that it was too soon. Karen was determined not to rush things, and he didn't want to scare her off.

"Well, then, we'll make it work together," Derek said.

Karen nodded and glanced at her watch.

"I should probably go home. There's this director who expects me to be at rehearsal early tomorrow morning."

"Would you like that director to walk you home?"

Karen smiled. "Sure."

He intertwined his fingers with Karen's, and they held hands during the walk to Karen's apartment.

"Well, tomorrow we'll finally have our movie night," Derek said.

"Yes," Karen said. "I"m looking forward to finally starting in on your Hitchcock collection."

After they reached Karen's building, they stood in front of her steps for a moment, still holding hands. Their lips met, and this time, their kiss lasted for several wonderful moments. After the kiss, they stood with their foreheads still touching.

"This is going to work," Derek said softly.

"I know."

Karen pulled away slowly and started to walk up the stairs.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have a good night, darling."

"You too, Derek."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** As always, thank you for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

Karen was very happy that rehearsal was over for the day. It had been a very long week. Derek and Tom had been fighting, and although Karen hadn't had any more fights with Ivy, it had just been very awkward. Karen started gathering her things in the corner of the room next to Bobby, Jessica, and Ivy.

"So, does anyone have any exciting plans tonight?" Bobby asked, looking pointedly at Karen.

Karen didn't feel like giving everyone more to gossip about with her and Derek, so she was actually grateful when Ivy answered instead.

"Well, I have a hot date."

Bobby turned to Ivy. "Ooh, do tell! Who's the lucky guy?"

Ivy grinned. "His name is Jason. He owns a restaurant not too far from here."

"Which restaurant?" Jessica asked.

"Angelo's. It's an Italian restaurant. I actually met him at Table 46 a few days ago, though. Now we're going on our first date."

"I've been to Angelo's," Jessica said. "It's a great restaurant. So is he taking you someplace nice?"

"I don't know yet. It's a surprise."

Maybe Ivy was moving on after all. Karen wondered if Jason was the man Ivy was talking to last night.

"Sounds intriguing," Bobby said. "So, what about you, Karen? Do you have a hot date with a certain director?"

"I need to go," Ivy said. "I'll see you all later."

Ivy grabbed her things and left. Jessica hit Bobby on the arm.

"What?" Bobby said.

"We're watching a movie together tonight," Karen said. "Derek is introducing me to his collection of Hitchcock films."

"Oh, so that's at his apartment, then?" Jessica said.

Karen sighed. "Yes."

As Bobby and Jessica smirked at each other, Karen quickly finished putting everything in her bag and stood up.

"Have a good weekend," Karen said as she left.

"Oh, you too," Bobby said.

"See you on Monday, Iowa," Jessica said.

Derek touched Karen on the shoulder as she was about to make her way out the door.

"So you'll be over at 8?" Derek asked.

"Yep," Karen said.

Derek smiled. "I'm really looking forward to introducing you to Hitchcock's films."

Karen smiled back. "Yeah, it should be fun. I'll see you then."

Karen turned back and gave Derek a quick kiss before she walked out. After all, everyone knew about them now anyway.

Karen was looking forward to their movie date, but it also meant that she and Derek would be alone in his apartment. Ana was right that spending the night at his place wouldn't really be rushing things at this point, but she still felt a little nervous about taking the next step. Karen didn't want to let what Ivy had said about Derek not being able to change get to her at all, but it still tended to invade her thoughts. She did really believe that Derek was changing, but there were still those nagging little worries at the back of her mind.

"So, you have your movie date with Derek tonight," Ana said when Karen came into their apartment.

Ana was getting ready to go to the theater for the night's "Hit List" performance.

"Yes, I do."

"Well, I won't expect you back until tomorrow, then," Ana said with a grin. "Have a good night."

Karen debated what she should wear for a little while and finally settled on a newer outfit that was cute but comfortable. She decided to spend a little extra and take a cab to Derek's place.

"Hello, darling," Derek greeted her as the elevator door opened.

As he took her coat, she looked around his apartment. Although she had been here for the party a week ago, she realized that the last time she had been alone with Derek in his apartment was when she was introducing Jimmy's "Hit List" songs to Derek. That seemed like such a long time ago now.

Karen walked into Derek's living room and looked out the window. She was always amazed at the view from his apartment.

"You're so lucky to be able to look out your living room window and see so much of the city," Karen said. "When I look out our living room window, I get to see the fire escape, the sides of other buildings, and a couple of Dumpsters."

Derek chuckled. "Yes, it is a lovely view. I suppose I take it for granted now."

"So how many movies do you have in your Hitchcock collection?" Karen asked.

"I have fifteen of them," Derek said.

"So, what is our first movie?" Karen asked.

"'Saboteur' will be tonight's film," Derek said, handing Karen the DVD case. "The Chinese food and wine are in the kitchen. I'll get them while you read about the movie."

Karen sat down on the couch and read the back of the DVD case.

"I don't think I've ever seen a film with Priscilla Lane," Karen commented.

"She was from Iowa," Derek said as he brought in a bottle of wine and cartons of Chinese food.

"Oh, really?"

Karen always loved hearing about successful actors that came from her home state.

"Yes, she and her sister studied dancing in Des Moines," Derek said.

Karen smiled. "Oh, just like me. You have all sorts of useful trivia, don't you?"

Derek smiled back. "Yes, I do. This seems like a fitting first film for our little marathon, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does."

Derek put the DVD in the player and sat down next to Karen on the couch. He put his arm around her, and Karen laid her head on his shoulder as they watched the film. They also made their way through the crab rangoons and wine.

Although Derek was quiet for most of the film, he occasionally would point out some of the visual effects that Hitchcock used. Karen loved listening to Derek talk about directing, and he clearly enjoyed discussing Hitchcock.

"Our next film will be 'Shadow of a Doubt,'" Derek said. "Maybe we could watch that later this week, before we head to Boston."

"I'm excited about that one," Karen said. "I read up a little bit about Hitchcock, and 'Shadow of a Doubt' was considered his first masterpiece."

Derek smiled. "Oh, you did your research. It's an excellent film."

"Well, thank you very much for the movie, the commentary, and the crab rangoons and wine," Karen said.

"You are very welcome, love," Derek said.

They sat for a few moments, just staring into each other's eyes. Karen was in no hurry to leave. She moved her hand along Derek's arm.

"So, here we are, all alone on a couch again," Karen said.

"Actually, the last time we were alone on my couch, you were trying to convince me to hear more about 'Hit List.'"

"Well, I must have done a pretty good job of that."

"You did. I've always had a hard time saying 'no' to you."

Karen smiled. "The last time we were on my couch…"

Karen let the sentence trail off. Derek had started stroking Karen's cheek. She leaned in closer to him, and soon their lips were touching. Their soft, sweet kiss soon grew more urgent. Karen put her arms around Derek as she laid back on the couch. After several passionate moments, Derek pulled away a bit and looked into her eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked softly.

That brought Karen back to that night almost a year ago when Derek asked her the same question. That night, Karen hadn't been sure. Tonight, though, she was.

"Yes," Karen whispered.

Their lips met again, and their foreheads were still touching when Derek pulled away slightly.

"Perhaps we should take this to the bedroom," he whispered.

Karen nodded, and as they made their way up the stairs, she knew that this was what she wanted. Derek was the man she wanted to be with. She might not be ready to tell him that she loved him yet, but everything about this relationship felt right.

* * *

Karen felt confused for a moment as she woke up in the morning. Then she felt the arm around her and turned around to see Derek asleep beside her. He had a little smile on his face. She wondered what he might be dreaming about. She was hoping that it was her; she had certainly had enough dreams about him. Now, of course, she knew that none of her erotic dreams had really done him justice.

She was still looking at him when his eyes opened a few moments later.

"Good morning," Karen said softly.

"Good morning, darling," Derek replied as he pushed a strand of hair out of Karen's face.

"What were you dreaming about?"

Derek smiled. "I was dreaming about you, actually. I'm glad to see that last night wasn't a dream, though."

Karen kissed him lightly. "I'm glad, too."

Neither was in any hurry to get out of bed. After spending a little while longer in each other's arms, though, they finally went down for breakfast.

Karen was wearing one of Derek's shirts as she leaned against the counter.

"You look good in my shirt," Derek said as he made coffee.

"Yes, I might have to keep it," Karen said.

Derek grinned. "You are welcome to keep it if you want, love. Did you have any big plans for today?"

"I didn't," Karen said. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Well, you could spend the day here," Derek said, pulling Karen close to him. "We could bring in some food, watch some more movies, spend some more time in my bed."

"Mmmmm…That sounds like a wonderful idea."

"I should make us some breakfast," Derek said.

"You're making breakfast?" Karen said. "I didn't know you could cook."

"Well, you wouldn't want me trying to cook anything fancy," Derek said. "I can handle eggs and bacon, though."

"You are a man of many talents."

Derek grinned. "I can show you a few more of those talents later. We should probably eat first, though. We might need the energy."

Karen smiled. She wasn't sure what the last week of rehearsal or their upcoming trip to Boston would bring, but she had a feeling this was going to be a very enjoyable weekend.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Thank you so much for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

Derek had been in a middle of a pleasant dream when an annoying buzzing sound interrupted it. It was a different buzzing than he was used to, though. As he opened his eyes, he remembered that he was in Karen's apartment.

Finally he felt Karen move next to him, and the buzzing stopped as she slapped the snooze button.

"Stupid alarm," Karen muttered.

"What time is it?" Derek asked groggily.

"6:45. I always leave a little time to hit the snooze button a couple of times."

"Hmmm."

Karen turned over and faced Derek. "Wow. In a few days, we'll be in Boston."

"Yes, we will. We have to get through this last rehearsal without me killing Tom first, though."

Karen smiled. "I'm sure you'll manage. You survived 'Bombshell.'"

"It was a miracle that we managed to get through the Boston run, and I quit before it got to Broadway."

"That's true." Karen brushed her fingers along Derek's cheek. "You're not going to quit 'Lucky Break', are you?"

Derek leaned over and gave Karen a brief kiss. "No, I am determined to get this show to Broadway, darling. I won't abandon you."

The alarm went off again. Karen reached over and turned it off.

"I suppose we might as well get up since we're already awake," Karen said.

Derek leaned over and kissed Karen again. "Well, we don't have to get up."

"As tempting as that is, Derek, we would be late for rehearsal."

"Tom would probably prefer it if I was late for rehearsal. Then, he could be the director for a little while again. Remind me to never again work with a composer who ended up directing his last show."

Karen gave Derek another quick kiss and got out of bed. "I'll make some coffee."

Derek yawned and stretched. "Oh, fine. I suppose it would be a good idea to show up for rehearsal on time."

Derek got dressed as Karen made the coffee. Their wine glasses from last night were still sitting in the sink. They had watched the next Hitchcock movie at Derek's place earlier in the week, and Karen wanted to start in on her own Audrey Hepburn collection at her apartment. Ana had conveniently chosen to be gone last night.

Karen and Derek walked to the rehearsal space together.

"At least this is our last rehearsal before Boston," Karen said.

"Yes, and then we have Tech to look forward to," Derek said.

"Ah, Bobby and Jessica are busy whispering about us again," Karen said as they walked in.

"We've walked in together a couple of times this week. Shouldn't everyone be used to it by now?"

Karen shrugged. "Well, I learned awhile ago that theater is just like high school. Actually, it seems like life in general is often like high school."

Karen walked to the back of the room as Derek got set up at the table.

"I can't believe this," Tom complained as he walked in.

"Tom, it's fine," Julia said.

"No, it's not," Tom said. "We're going to be in Boston next week."

"Speaking of high school…" Derek said.

Tom looked at him sharply. "What?"

"Never mind, Tom."

Derek didn't even know what Tom was complaining about, and he didn't really want to know. Now Tom was standing with his hands on his hips, glaring at Derek again. Derek refused to even acknowledge it until he had to.

"We have a problem, Derek."

"What is it now, Tom?"

"The staging for 'Here at Last' is all wrong."

"No, it's not," Derek said. "The staging is fine."

Tom hadn't won a single one of these arguments, but he kept doing it anyway. Derek figured that he was just trying to drive him to quit again so that he could take over the direction of the show.

"Tom," Julia said, giving him a warning glare.

"What? Shouldn't I voice my concerns? We're going into Tech next week."

"Yes, Tom, when you have actual concerns," Julia said. "But you're just being difficult for the sake of being difficult, and you know it."

Tom scowled and sat down. Derek could only hope that Tom would finally give this up in Boston.

"Thank you, Julia," Derek said. He addressed the cast. "Alright everybody, let's get started. We have a lot to get through today."

Tom at least didn't argue with Derek that much once the rehearsal started. There was so much to do today that any fighting would really put them behind.

Eileen came in the afternoon, and they ran through the entire show.

"I think it looks great," Eileen said. "It's a terrific show."

"I agree," Julia said. "Tom?"

"Yeah, the show is good," Tom said.

Derek was relieved. He really did feel that this show was ready to go on stage, which was a nice feeling.

"Alright everyone," Derek said as they wrapped up their final rehearsal. "I will see you all in Boston."

He still ended up seeing most of the cast and crew at Table 46 afterward, though. Derek ordered a scotch and sat down at a table with Karen.

"The show seems like it's in good shape," Karen said.

"Yes, it does," Derek said. "It would be nice if everything actually ran smoothly. Plenty of shows do, you know. We just haven't been so lucky in that regard."

"Well, maybe the bad luck I have been bringing to shows is finally gone," Karen said.

"Darling, you don't bring bad luck to shows."

"Well, I hope that if I do, it's at least over now," Karen said. "Oh, Amy is doing well now and is supposed to be back performing in 'Hit List' in a couple of weeks."

"That's great," Derek said. "Another sign that any bad luck is hopefully behind us."

Karen nodded. "My parents are planning to come to Boston to see the show."

"Have you told them about us yet?"

Karen shook her head. "No, I haven't yet. I will before they come, though. It's just that Dad talked quite a bit about all that stuff with Daisy, so I think he might be a little concerned."

Derek nodded. "Yes, your dad made some comments to me about the way that I have treated women when he visited. I hope that your parents can see that I really am trying to change."

"I'm sure they will, but it might take a little time, especially with my dad," Karen said. "There's at least one thing in our favor, though: You're not in prison."

"Well, it's good that I have that going for me anyway."

Derek had only seen Karen's parents briefly when they came for the opening night of "Hit List." He had worked hard to make a good impression on Karen's father when he had first visited during rehearsals, though. He knew that Karen was close to her parents, so he hoped that they would give him a chance.

Karen looked over at the table with Bobby, Jessica, and Ivy. Ivy was sitting with the same man she had been flirting with last week.

"Ivy seems to really like him," Karen said.

Derek nodded. "I hope it works out for her. I want Ivy to be as happy as I am, and I'm very happy with you."

Derek cupped Karen's cheek. He really was happy with her, happier than he could ever remember being. They had spent a wonderful weekend together, and that had been followed by some great nights despite the stressful rehearsals. He hoped that everything would go just as well for them in Boston.

Karen smiled. "I'm happy with you, too, Mr. Wills."

Derek loved her smile. In fact, he loved everything about her—her laugh, her voice, her love of the theater and appreciation of old movies, the way that she always tried to see the good in people. His biggest fear was disappointing her. He wanted more than anything to be the man she deserved.

"Well, perhaps we should go back to my place and explore those feelings of happiness a bit more," Derek said.

"That sounds like a very good idea."

Derek paid for their drinks and slipped his arm around Karen's waist as they walked out the door.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **Thank you for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

It felt so strange to Karen to be back here in Boston, especially at the same theater where she first went on stage as Marilyn. Sometimes she still couldn't believe that she gave up that Broadway role to do "Hit List" at the Manhattan Theater Workshop.

She had never been sure what had played the biggest role in her leaving "Bombshell": her issues with Tom, her feelings for Jimmy, or her bond with Derek.

For the most part, Boston brought back good memories for Karen. Although this was where her relationship with Dev had ended, it was also the place where her career had truly begun. She often still thought about that first amazing night as the audience stood and cheered after she sang "Don't Forget Me."

She also had some great times with Derek during that "Bombshell" run in Boston. After her first performance as Marilyn, he had taken her out for dinner several times. She had tried not to think of those as dates at the time, especially since she had just broken up with Dev and wasn't ready for any sort of relationship yet. She still wondered if she would have gotten involved with Jimmy if Derek had made a move sooner.

Despite the stress of tech, Karen was still looking out at the audience, thinking about how much she loved this theater.

"I hate this theater," Ivy said from behind her.

Karen turned around. Ivy was standing with Bobby and Jessica.

"Well, I suppose it doesn't bring back the best memories for you," Jessica said. "Still, this was where 'Bombshell' was first on stage."

"And, we had that first preview where nobody applauded," Bobby said.

"They applauded once the ending was changed," Jessica said.

"And they didn't have to listen to Rebecca Duvall attempt to sing," Bobby said.

"I was still stuck in the ensemble," Ivy said. "And, this is where Derek cheated on me with Rebecca Duvall. I still remember her feeding him birthday cake and then standing outside her dressing room and hearing her and Derek in there."

"Why did you start sleeping with Derek again then, after everything he put through?" Jessica asked.

Ivy shrugged. "I was lonely. And, I wasn't completely over him. I am now, though. I'm finally moving on. Really, I should have known that a relationship with Derek was hopeless after that day I stood outside Rebecca's dressing room. The worst thing is, he even told me that he loved me right before that."

"Do you really have to talk about this right in front of me?" Karen asked.

"Well, it happened," Ivy said. "You were there. Why, are you worrying that it's going to happen again?"

"No," Karen said. "Derek's changed."

Karen walked away before Ivy could respond. She wasn't worried that Derek was going to cheat on her here in Boston, but she hated the way that Ivy tended to bring up these little doubts that would creep into her mind.

Karen went to find Derek. He was standing with the lighting designer, and he didn't look like he was in the best mood.

"Bloody hell!"

Maybe this wasn't the best time to talk to Derek. Karen realized that she hadn't told her parents about him yet, and she really needed to give them a few days, at least, to get used to the idea of her and Derek before they came to Boston.

Karen felt a bit nervous as she called her dad.

"Hi, honey," her dad said. "We're really looking forward to seeing your new show. And you, of course."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you and Mom, too," Karen said. "Dad, there's something I need to tell you before you come to Boston."

"What is it, Karen?"

"Derek and I are seeing each other."

"Derek Wills?"

"Do I have any other Dereks in my life?" Karen asked before realizing how she sounded. "Sorry, Dad. I just feel a little nervous telling you about this. Derek has really changed, and I'm hoping that you can be happy about our relationship."

"Well, Karen, it's a little hard to be happy considering your recent taste in men. And, Derek Wills doesn't have a very good past when it comes to women. I know that just from what I've read about him."

"You liked him when you met him, though, didn't you?"

"That was when you weren't dating him."

"Look, Dad, I know that seeing Jimmy was a bad idea, and I understand why you're concerned about Derek's past. He's really changed, though. You'll see that when you come."

"I hope you're right," her dad said.

"Karen?" Karen turned around to see Angela, the stage manager, standing behind her. "We need you on stage."

Karen nodded. "Dad, I have to go."

"Alright," her dad said. "We'll see you next week."

That certainly could have gone worse, but Karen was worried about how her dad would act once her parents got there. All she could do was hope for the best.

The rest of the day was typical tech—long and stressful. Derek came up to Karen once they were finally done.

"So, darling, did you want to get some dinner?"

"Sure," Karen replied.

Derek took her arm, and they walked over to a Chinese restaurant that they had been to during their previous time in Boston.

"This was where I discovered your love of crab rangoons," Derek said.

"Yes, they do have good crab rangoons here. Their almond chicken is good, too."

Karen decided to order the almond chicken again and of course ordered extra crab rangoons.

"Well, one more day of tech down," Derek said.

"Yep," Karen said. "I told my parents today that we're seeing each other."

"How did they take it?"

"I'm not really sure yet," Karen said. "Dad wasn't too happy, but we'll see when he gets here, I guess. I was hoping he might get used to the idea if he had a few days to process it. I think that my mom might be a little more accepting. She liked you when she met you at 'Hit List's' opening night."

Derek nodded. "Well, I'll do my best to make a good impression and let your father know that I am really working on being a better man now."

Karen nodded and took a few sips of her wine. They were silent for a few minutes as they started eating their egg drop soup.

"Karen, is something wrong? Besides worrying about your parents' reaction to us dating, I mean?"

How could Derek always tell when something was wrong? Karen sighed.

"Ivy just said something about how you cheated on her with Rebecca Duvall the last time we were in Boston."

"Karen, you knew about that," Derek said. "And, you know that my relationship with Ivy then was very different from my relationship with you now."

"I know," Karen said. "But, Ivy said that you had told her you loved her right before that."

"I did? To be honest, I don't really remember what I said to Ivy in Boston, but I've loved her as a friend for a long time, Karen. I still feel bad that I hurt her then. When I got back together with Ivy after the Tonys, we had our problems, but I didn't cheat on her. The thing is, love, I never really felt the same way about Ivy that I do about you. I would never cheat on you. I…I would just never do that to you."

Karen wondered if he had been about to say something else when he paused. "It's just hard, Derek, with your history. I know that you've been changing, but it's still hard."

"I know. I want you to trust me, Karen, and I'll do whatever I have to do to earn that trust."

Their food arrived then, and they didn't talk much as they ate. Karen didn't want Derek to think that she didn't trust him, but she still didn't know what to do about those nagging little doubts. She could only hope they would go away as she spent more time with him.

Derek put his arm around Karen's waist as they walked back to the hotel. When they got back, Derek turned toward Karen and took her hands in his.

"So, did you just want to go back to your room then?" Derek asked softly.

He was giving her that puppy-dog look of his.

"No, let's go to yours," Karen said.

Derek smiled, and they held hands as they went up to his room.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **Thank you for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

Derek wasn't sure what was putting him more on edge today: the first preview of "Lucky Break" tonight or the lunch with Karen's parents this afternoon.

Karen's parents had arrived this morning, but Derek hadn't seen them yet. He hoped that lunch would go well because he didn't want Karen to be distracted during her performance. He also knew that this lunch was important for their relationship. He was determined to show Karen how serious he was about her.

Derek was meeting them in the hotel lobby. Karen's mother was smiling as they came toward him, but her father was frowning. Derek could already see that he was going to have his work cut out for him where Roger was concerned.

Derek smiled and extended his hand as they walked up. "Hello, Roger, Caroline. It's good to see both of you."

"It's good to see you again, too, Derek," Caroline said warmly.

"I'm looking forward to chatting with you, Derek," Roger said with considerably less warmth.

Karen frowned and looked back and forth between them.

"We're going to this cafe down the street," she said. "They have great soup and sandwiches. Their clam chowder is supposed to be very good. I know that you like clam chowder, Dad."

"Yes, I do," Roger said. "Lead the way."

After they had ordered their food, Caroline turned to Derek.

"So, Karen said the dress rehearsal went pretty well."

"Yes, there were a few problems here and there, but it was good overall," Derek said. "Hopefully tonight will go even better."

"That's good," Caroline said. "We can't wait to see Karen perform tonight."

"I'm sure the show will be good," Roger said. "What we really need to talk about is your relationship with my daughter, Derek."

"Dad," Karen said, giving him a warning look.

"It's alright, Karen," Derek said. "I understand that you might have concerns, Roger, but I want you to know that I am working very hard to be a better person. I really want to have a good, lasting relationship with Karen."

Roger raised his eyebrows. "Do you think that your relationship can really work out, considering your history with women? I'm sure that what I've read about you doesn't even cover half of the things you've done. Why should I think you're going to treat my daughter any differently?"

"Dad, I'm a grown woman," Karen said. "I can make my own decisions."

"I'm just looking out for you, Karen," Roger said. "I don't want you to keep getting hurt. You've already had enough trouble with men. I'd like to see you in a relationship that can actually work, not in flings with drug addicts and womanizers."

"I assure you that this isn't just a fling," Derek said, his own voice starting to rise.

"Why would I believe that?" Roger asked. "Didn't you just say you loved Ivy Lynn on national television not too long ago? That didn't seem to last very long."

"It didn't work out with Ivy partly because I love Karen so much. I will do everything I can not to hurt your daughter. I want this relationship to work more than anything."

His declaration of love for Karen was greeted with stunned silence. Derek looked at Karen nervously, wondering what she was thinking. He could tell she was surprised, but he had no idea if he had just scared her off. He was worried that Karen wasn't ready for that, and he wasn't sure what he should do now.

Their food arrived, and Caroline worked to change the subject.

"We're really looking forward to seeing the show tonight," she said. "Karen has talked about it a great deal."

Derek just nodded, and Roger and Karen concentrated on their food. Other than a few words about the show, they didn't say much for the rest of the meal.

When they got back to the hotel, Karen turned to Derek. "Thank you for coming to lunch, Derek. I'm sorry about the way my dad acted."

"That's alright, darling. He's just worried about you."

Karen nodded. "I should spend a little more time with my parents before the show. I'll see you later."

Karen hadn't said anything about Derek saying he loved her. He couldn't afford to think about it right now, though. He had to concentrate on the show.

Thankfully, Tom hadn't caused him a lot of problems in Boston. He apparently had decided that Derek's direction was satisfactory. As long as the previews went well and the reviews were good, Derek was hopeful that he wouldn't face too many more arguments with Tom.

Before Karen went on stage, Derek told her to "break a leg" but made sure to avoid saying anything about her parents or their relationship. Karen was much more confident now and didn't need as much encouragement.

Derek watched with pride as Karen and Ivy performed the opening number. They might not always get along, but they were fantastic performing together.

There were still a few problems—a couple of wrong lines and prop issues. Overall, though, Derek considered the first preview a success. The audience stood and cheered as Karen and Ivy walked out together for their curtain call.

Roger came up to Derek after the show.

"The show was very good," Roger said. "All of you did a nice job with it."

"Thank you, Roger."

"Look, Derek, I can't say that I will be happy that you're dating my daughter anytime soon," Roger said. "But, as my wife has pointed out, it's obvious how much you care about each other. So, I'll try to back off for the time being."

"I appreciate that, Roger. I want the best for your daughter, just like you do. I know that I don't have the best past, but Karen means a great deal to me. Karen is wonderful, and I will do whatever I need to do to be the man that she deserves."

Roger nodded. "Well, you better not hurt her, or you'll have to answer to me."

"I understand, and as I said before, I will do everything I can to avoid hurting her," Derek said.

Karen and Caroline walked up to them with her.

"Is everything okay?" Karen asked.

Caroline was looking pointedly at Roger.

"I think so," Roger said. "I have promised not to get in the way of your relationship. Anyway, you were terrific, honey."

"You really were," Derek agreed.

Karen smiled. "Thank you."

They chatted with Karen's parents a little more about the show before Roger and Caroline headed to their room.

"Did you want to have a drink before we go up to my room?" Derek asked. "If you want to come to my room, that is."

"Of course I want to come to your room," Karen said with a smile. "It's bigger than mine. A drink sounds good, too."

Derek smiled and put his arm around Karen as they walked to the bar. They mostly talked about the show as Karen sipped her vodka cranberry and Derek drank his scotch.

Later that night, Karen was lying in Derek's arms. He had been happy that she had decided to spend the night with him after everything that happened that day.

"Derek?"

"Yes, darling?"

"I love you, too."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: ** Thank you so much for all of the very kind reviews of the last chapter! I hope the rest of this story will live up to your expectations. This chapter was a little challenging, so hopefully it's okay. Thank you again for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

* * *

"Karen Cartwright and Ivy Lynn are terrific in the lead roles, both bringing just the right notes to their characters. They are fantastic together, and their duets are one of the strongest elements of 'Lucky Break.' Cartwright is perfectly cast in the role of Sara, an actress who has struggled to make in on Broadway but is still desperately trying to find her bring break. She brings the perfect balance to her character of optimism and assertiveness with a growing concern that she isn't really cut out for this business."

Karen and Derek were sitting on his hotel bed reading the reviews. Derek was reading Karen's reviews out loud. She decided to return the favor.

"Derek Wills' direction and choreography are superb, and surely more Tonys will be coming his way when 'Lucky Break' arrives on Broadway. Any proclamations that his career was over were clearly premature. Wills continues to be one of the top directors on Broadway, and for good reason."

They had both received very good reviews, and the show overall had received quite a bit of acclaim as well. Of course, there were a few things that needed to be improved, but the show was looking good to make it to Broadway.

"Well, they loved you, darling, as I knew they would," Derek said, giving Karen a kiss.

"They loved your direction and choreography, too," Karen said. "It looks like your career is officially back on track."

"We should go out and celebrate," Derek said. "Why don't we go someplace nice for some drinks after the show tonight?"

"That sounds great," Karen said.

Her parents were leaving this afternoon. Her dad and Derek had gotten along better after the first preview. Karen was hoping that they could eventually have a good relationship.

She was still amazed that Derek had said that he loved her to her parents. She also could barely believe that she had found the nerve to tell Derek that she loved him that night. Their relationship really had reached another level. It was a little scary, but it felt right.

Derek came along with Karen to see her parents off.

"It was great seeing you Caroline, Roger," Derek said. "I'm sure you'll want to come see the show on Broadway as well."

"Of course," Roger said. "The show is great."

"It really is," Caroline said. She hugged Karen. "Goodbye, sweetheart. We'll see you again soon."

Karen hugged her dad as well. "Thank you both for coming."

Derek and Karen were holding hands during the cab ride back to the hotel. Derek was stroking Karen's hand with his thumb.

"Dad didn't complain about your past anymore after that first lunch," Karen said. "That has to be a good thing."

Derek smiled. "I hope so. I want your parents to be happy about us."

"I think they'll get there," Karen said. "Mom's already there."

They ate a quick dinner together and then got ready for the night's show.

The show went well again. It had gone a little bit more smoothly each night. Derek came up to Karen after the show and gave her a quick kiss.

"Another fantastic performance, darling," Derek said. "Unfortunately, our plans have changed a bit. Eileen wants to talk about the show over drinks, so we're heading over to Russo's."

Russo's was a bar near the theater that many of the cast and crew members from "Lucky Break" had been going to after the shows.

"That's fine," Karen said.

She was a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to have her private celebration with Derek. Of course, they could always celebrate after he was done talking to Eileen. Then, they could head to Derek's bedroom for a different kind of celebrating. Those thoughts were cheering Karen up a bit.

When Karen and Derek walked into the bar, they saw Ivy sitting with the same man that she had been with at Table 46 before. Karen assumed this was Jason. Eileen was sitting at a table and was motioning for Derek to come over.

"I need to go and talk to Eileen, love," Derek said. "I'll see you in a little bit, alright?"

"Okay," Karen said. "I can entertain myself for a few minutes."

Derek stroked her cheek for a moment and smiled at her before heading over to Eileen's table. Karen walked over to the bar and ordered a drink. A couple of minutes later, Ivy and the man Karen assumed was Jason came over to her.

"Hi, Karen," Ivy said. "This is Jason. He decided to come to Boston to see me in the show. Jason, this is Karen."

Jason shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you. You were both so great tonight."

"Thank you," Karen said. "It's nice to meet you, too. So, Ivy said that you own a restaurant."

"Yes, I do," he said. "You'll have to stop by sometime."

"It's really an excellent restaurant," Ivy said. "So, Karen, we both got good reviews."

"Yes, and the show got good reviews, too," Karen said.

"After we performed there again, I started to like the theater better," Ivy said. "It's always nice to replace bad memories with good ones, right?"

"Right," Karen replied. "I'm glad the show has been going well."

"Jason, could you find us a table?" Ivy asked. "I need to talk to Karen alone for a few minutes."

Jason nodded and went to find a table. Karen was very curious what exactly Ivy was about to say to her that needed to be said privately.

"Look, Karen, I'm sorry about earlier," Ivy said. "It's not easy for me to be here in this theater again. Those weeks in Boston were a dark time for me. I was struggling with that pill addiction and then Derek cheated on me, you got the part of Marilyn, and I almost… Anyway, it's not fun having flashbacks of all of that."

"Yeah, you told me you were in a bad place when you apologized to me before. You ended up playing Marilyn on Broadway, though, and you won a Tony for it."

"I know," Ivy said. "But, I've had some things go wrong since then, and it's made me worry about going down a bad path again. It's not easy to move on. Anyway, I will probably never be thrilled about you and Derek being together, but I do hope that it works out better for you than it did for me."

"Why are you saying all this to me now, Ivy?"

Ivy shrugged. "I'm in a better place than I was even a week ago. The show is going well, and this thing I have with Jason looks promising. I think that having a successful performance here is helping me finally let go of the bad memories."

"Well, I appreciate you telling me all of this," Karen said. "I hope that things work out for you, too."

"Thanks, Karen. Have a good night."

A few minutes later, Derek came back over. "I saw you talking with Ivy. There didn't seem to be any shouting."

Karen smiled. "No, we actually had a pretty good talk."

"That's good. It would be great if you two could get along well, especially since I'm sure you'll both be nominated for Tonys."

"Don't we need to get to Broadway first?"

"We will. I just talked to Eileen, and I don't think we'll have the problems that we did with 'Bombshell.' Once we get back to New York, we can just fix the things that need fixing, and then I believe we'll have a successful Broadway debut."

"That's good," Karen said. "Should we do some celebrating then?"

"Yes, we should," Derek said. "There's a place not too far from here that's supposed to have good music."

"That sounds wonderful," Karen said, taking Derek's arm. "Lead the way, Mr. Wills."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **I'm sorry that it took me so long to update this. I was very busy at work, then my job got outsourced, and now I have a new job that starts tomorrow. This is just a quick chapter to finally update this, but I'll try to be better about writing. Thank you so much for reading and for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!

Derek looked around his apartment as he rolled his suitcase inside. Home sweet home. It was always nice to come back to New York after a successful out-of-town run. Hopefully that would lead to "Lucky Break" making a successful Broadway debut soon.

As soon as Derek finished unpacking, he took out his notes and started focusing on the improvements that would need to be made before the show went to Broadway. He had only been looking at his notes for a few minutes when his phone rang. He smiled when he saw who was calling.

"Hello, darling," Derek answered.

"You're not already busy working again, are you?"

Karen knew him so well. "I was just looking over my notes a bit."

"We just got home," Karen said. "You don't have to immediately get back to work on the show."

"Oh, did you have something else in mind?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I'll be by in a few minutes."

Derek chuckled as he hung up the phone. He was curious what exactly Karen was planning.

A few minutes later, Karen arrived at his apartment. Derek pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss when she came in. Karen smiled at him but then shook her head when she saw Derek's notes spread out on the coffee table.

"It's a beautiful day," Karen said. "It's not a day to be sitting inside, working."

"And how do you propose we take advantage of that weather, love?"

Karen smiled and took Derek's arm. "You'll see."

It really was a lovely day. As they walked arm-in-arm, Derek was glad that Karen had torn him away from work for a little while. Of course, he was always happy to spend some time with Karen.

Derek could hear the music coming from the park before he could see the stages, the booths, and the many people at the festival.

"One of my favorite bands is playing here," Karen said as they walked through the entrance to the festival. "Ana and I are going out tonight, so I decided to spend the afternoon with you. Plus, I knew you already be back to work on the show, so I thought this would be a nice break."

Derek smiled as they started walking around. "This is a wonderful idea. It's been awhile since I've gone to one of these neighborhood festivals."

He had his arm around Karen's waist as they looked at some of the different booths. They tried out a few egg rolls and found a spot on one of the park benches not too far from a stage. They sat and listened to the music for awhile.

"How do you like the band?" Karen asked.

"They're quite good," Derek said. "Where did you learn about them?"

"Ana introduced me to them. I've learned about a lot of great bands from her."

When the band took a break, Karen and Derek looked around a bit more and then got something to drink. When they got back, their bench had been taken by another couple, but they eventually found seats at a table.

"So I hope that party for the press this Friday goes better than the one we had for 'Bombshell,'" Karen said. She sighed. "Oh, there I go, talking about work again."

"Well, when your life is the theater, it's hard not to talk about it," Derek said.

"That's true."

"I'm sure this party will be much better," Derek said. "I don't believe there are any investors that will end up in prison this time. No guarantees, obviously, but I'm hopeful."

"Yes, hopefully 'Lucky Break' will be a little luckier than 'Bombshell,'" Karen said. "Of course, 'Bombshell' still won the Tony, so I guess it turned out alright. Still, it would be nice not to have to get past a bunch of scandals."

"A scandal-free road to Broadway is actually a perfectly common thing," Derek said. "Plenty of shows don't have anyone going to prison or nasty divorces getting in the way."

"Or womanizing directors getting into trouble?"

Derek tucked a strand of hair behind Karen's ear. "Well, I don't plan on getting into any more trouble. And, there's only one woman for me now."

"And who would that be?" Karen teased.

"She's sitting beside me right now," Derek said as he leaned in to kiss her.


End file.
